JACKSON, Wyo. — St. John’s Health and the Teton County Health Department have determined the second positive case of COVID-19 to be a local healthcare worker who works in the hospital.
The Wyoming Health Department believes the probable cause of the person’s exposure is related to recent domestic travel. At this time, health officials are not considering the case to be community transmission.
The healthcare provider self-isolated at the first onset of symptoms, according to St. John’s Health Communications Officer Karen Connely. They continue to self-isolate and are “feeling much better at this time,” Connely said.
“Just as we believe that COVID-19 is likely present at high rates in our community, we know that healthcare workers are at extremely high risk for exposure, even though this provider does not appear to have been exposed at work,” said St. John’s Health CEO Paul Beaupré, MD. “Our healthcare workers deserve great respect from all of us for the job they are doing to take care of our community during this pandemic. I ask you all to respect the provider’s privacy, as we would respect the privacy of any other patient.”
“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of everyone in the community doing their part to ensure that the health infrastructure maintains the ability to take care of sick people and provide other vital services, such as delivering babies and providing care for people with stroke, heart attack, etc.,” Beaupré said. “Please become educated on everything you can do as an individual, as a family, or as a business, to help control the spread of this disease in our community.”
JHCovid.com, St. John’s Health, and the Teton County Health Department all have current local information about COVID-19 and what individuals can do in response.
People who have had direct contact with anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be identified and contacted by the Wyoming Department of Health.
