Sheridan County cases show slight increase as Nation prepares for omicron during heavy travel season

Sheridan County’s COVID-19 case numbers had been in sharp decline in spite of the transmissibility of the delta variant. The county now joins the rest of the Cowboy State bracing for the possible impact of the fast-spreading omicron variant. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States recently surpassed 50 million COVID-19 cases and 800,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Last week also marked the first anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccination in the United States and here in Wyoming. 

On Dec. 15, 2020, the Wyoming Department of Health issued a release stating the first in-state vaccination was given at the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department that morning to a local public health nurse. 

The CDC reports that 55.9% of Sheridan County’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccination, 48.3% report being fully vaccinated. 

With the threat of the omicron variant spreading quickly through the US, it remains to be seen how holiday travel may influence the case count. 

On Dec. 21, President Joe Biden announced his plans to deliver 500 million free COVID-19 tests, increase support for hospitals and expand on the availability of vaccines to battle a surge of the omicron variant.

Sheridan County has suffered the deaths of 60 residents to the virus. The county has experienced 4,506 lab confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, adding seven cases in the last 24 hours.