CDC lowers local COVID-19 level to medium

Jul. 29—CHEYENNE — Just about a week after the federal government raised the COVID-19 community level for this community, it has now lowered it back down to where it had been.

There also was good news when it comes to such assessments for several other counties in the state, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's analysis has found. For instance, Albany and Campbell counties both moved down a notch to low from medium. Albany County, of which Laramie is the seat, is home to the University of Wyoming.

The latest federal decision comes during Cheyenne Frontier Days, which earlier had faced the heightened level of concern related to the pandemic. "The fact that the CDC raised and lowered the risk within a period of a few days did not change our overall safety plan," wrote CFD spokesperson Nicole Gamst, in an email Friday.

In an action apparently taken the day before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed Laramie County to be in the "medium" risk category, when it comes to public health statistics related to the coronavirus. For about one week, the county, of which Cheyenne is the seat, was considered by the CDC to have been in the "high" category.

In this case, seven days made for a major difference in the suggested health guidance from the federal government. Whereas for the preceding week, people in this county were advised to wear a mask when in public indoors, the current community risk category does not recommend that.

Instead, for the medium level, the CDC says that "if you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions." One thing both the medium and high levels have in common is that people are advised to "stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines" and to also "get tested if you have symptoms."

In explaining how it makes its decisions, a CDC spokesperson wrote in an email to the WTE Friday, the "COVID-19 community level is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days." He added it's first determined whether a county "has fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days or 200 new cases or more per 100,000 people in the past 7 days."

Then the agency figures out the low-medium-high level "for the new admissions and inpatient beds and indicators using the scale for the area's number for new cases. The COVID-19 Community Level is based on the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics."

Bottom line for Wyoming is there are now seven counties at the high level, three fewer than during the previous week. And the number of localities at the medium level increased by two, to 11 total. For the lowest level, that number rose by one, to an aggregate of five counties.

At CFD, Chief Marketing Officer Gamst wrote, the "message to staff, volunteers and our fans has been and remains consistent: stay home if you are sick and take responsibility for your own health and the health of your community."

Jonathan Make is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's assistant managing editor and editor of the Wyoming Business Report. He can be reached at jmake@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3129. Follow him on Twitter @makejdm.