Despite having the highest vaccination rate in Wyoming, Teton County is adjusting its COVID risk level back to red, the highest level, due to rising COVID cases in the county and state.
As of Thursday, Teton County had 123 active COVID cases. While this is certainly not the highest number of COVID cases in Wyoming’s 23 counties, officials have decided to adjust the risk level.
“We are hoping that this change will allow community members to easily see the metrics that show the transmission level of COVID-19 in our community,” Teton County Health Department director Jodie Pond said. “While the other COVID metrics are important, they do not play as large of a role in the risk of getting COVID-19 in our community. We want to make sure community members have all the information they need to make appropriate decisions, especially if they are a more high-risk individual, have an at-risk individual in their household, or have children or others in their household who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccination.”
The county hasn’t seen this rate of active COVID cases since mid-February, according to the county COVID tracker.
Teton County has a vaccination rate of about 71%, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. It was also the county that kept its mask order in place the longest, letting it finally expire in May after implementing it months before Gov. Mark Gordon a statewide mandate.
