The first month of this year has been the deadliest one Dr. Brent Blue has seen in his time as Teton County coroner.
âItâs really pretty bizarre, actually,â Blue said. âThese were all unrelated. There werenât two deaths that were related.â
Of the 15 deaths reported in January, 12 were what Blue calls âunattended,â usually meaning it was an unexpected death outside the hospital.
The three other deaths were COVID-19 related, according to the Teton County Health Department.
But the dozen that were or are being investigated by the Teton County Coronerâs Office were not related to COVID-19, Blue said.
Wyoming has announced changes to its vaccination priority groups, but that doesnât mean it has magically uncovered new vaccine doses.
Last week, the Wyoming Department of Health updated its 1b groupings, offering concurrent vaccination for vulnerable populations and some essential workers. It also released the 1c categories, which include other groupings of essential industries, the homeless and people living in a variety of congregate situations.
âEven though we may have some updates with those phases, thatâs not going to make more vaccine suddenly available in large quantities,â state Health Department spokeswoman Kim Deti said last week.
Locally, people between 65 and 69 will start being vaccinated around mid-February alongside behavioral health care and social workers. In March, teachers and staff at the countyâs schools, both public and private, will be up.
The Wyoming Department of Health reported 232 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The previous day saw only 58 new cases, which means the number of confirmed active cases has quadrupled in the last 24 hours.