Dr. Hoo Feng Choo receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 16 at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in Cheyenne. Choo specializes in infectious diseases.
The Wyoming Hospital Association is urging staff at the state’s hospitals and nursing homes to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The message comes as the number of COVID-19 patients in Wyoming hospitals continues to grow. As of Friday, the state’s hospitals were collectively treating 178 COVID patients, the highest number recorded since Dec. 14.
Cases have also shot up, coinciding with the emergence of the more contagious delta variant, which is now the dominant strain in Wyoming. The state’s number of total active cases stood at 3,538 on Friday. That number represented a 2,822 increase from a month ago.
“We are urging all healthcare workers to receive the free, safe, and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible,” the association wrote in a statement released Saturday. “The WHA is available to assist all hospitals and nursing homes in whatever ways needed to achieve 100% vaccination in our facilities.”
Wyoming has one of the poorest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation. Only 48% of the state’s adult population is fully vaccinated, the fourth-worst rate in the U.S., according to a New York Times count.
There is some positive news of late. State data compiled by the Star-Tribune showed a recent increase in vaccinations in Wyoming coinciding with the surge in cases.
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