Sweetwater County COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center provides update

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ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (March 24, 2020) — Sweetwater County COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Chief Public Information Officer Jason Mower provided an update to the media on current EOC operations as well as relevant COVID-19 data tonight during a press briefing.

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“Our group has worked tirelessly to get the Operations Center operational,” Mower said. “I feel like we are getting better each day.”

“Testing for COVID-19 remains an issue nationwide, particularly in rural counties across the country including here in Sweetwater County. Through the Sweetwater County COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC), public health authorities throughout the county are working closely together with local government and other medical professionals throughout the county to ensure testing for COVID-19 remains viable and streamlined locally throughout our communities.”

“As it stands, Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County is currently the only facility collecting COVID-19 viral samples for testing, but there are plans in place for Castle Rock Medical Center in Green River and possibly other local medical facilities to
serve as additional collection sites.”

“This group is also working diligently, in cooperation with Sweetwater County Emergency Management and local, state and federal officials, to secure and safeguard adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for our local medical service providers and emergency first responders. The primary objective remains to work together with public health and our local medical community to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Sweetwater County.”

“To assist one another in this effort, the Sweetwater County EOC strongly urges everyone to abide by all current public health and social distancing recommendations and state public health orders including washing your hands frequently with soap and water, using hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, avoiding touching your face, staying home if you’re sick, sanitizing surfaces (the virus can live on surfaces for three days), maintaining at least six feet of distance between people in public, and avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people. Not everyone infected with COVID-19 may show symptoms of the illness, but they are still actively carrying and can transmit the virus.”

“At this time, we should all act as though the person next to us is infected so as to maintain the health precautions necessary to combat the spread of the virus in our community. Our goal at the Sweetwater County EOC is to keep the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases here in Sweetwater County as close to zero as possible.”

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Mower reported that the current number of COVID-19 cases in Wyoming has now reached 30. There have been no reported deaths throughout the state from the virus.

Mower also touched on the overall amount of COVID-19 tests that have been performed in Sweetwater County. Mower reported that the total number of COVID-19 tests performed in Sweetwater County is 143. Of those 143, 24 are confirmed as negative. 59 tests were rejected due to, “transport delay and severe weather conditions”, zero tests were rejected with follow-up testing, six tests came back as positive of the flu, and 31 positive for respiratory panels such as rhinovirus.

Wyo4News will continue to provide information regarding COVID-19 and the EOC as it becomes available. Questions from the public for Jason Mower and the EOC can be emailed to [email protected].

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