Testing finds 10 coronavirus cases at Wyoming prison

Testing of inmates, staff and healthcare workers at Wyoming’s maximum-security prison has detected at least 10 cases of the coronavirus, corrections officials said Wednesday.

Wyoming was among just a couple states with no known coronavirus among inmates. Testing to date has revealed three inmates, one staff member and six healthcare workers with the virus.

As of Wednesday, 876 inmates and workers at the Wyoming State Penitentiary had been tested. Full results were pending.

The tests were part of a plan to screen all Wyoming inmates over the weeks ahead. A case of coronavirus in a contract healthcare worker last week prompted the department to begin testing at the Wyoming State Penitentiary a couple weeks earlier than planned.

The prison was locked own because of the positive results and contact tracing was being done.

Wyoming as of Wednesday had over 540 active, reported cases of the coronavirus, up from about 150 in early June. Twenty-five people had died.

Worldwide, the number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported numbers because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.