CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Results are negative so far for a Wyoming city testing for signs of the coronavirus in sewage.
Park County Public Health officer Dr. Aaron Billin presented the first round of results to Cody city officials Monday. The samples were taken April 28 at the city’s wastewater treatment center.
Billin says the results are encouraging and show that local public health efforts have been successful.
Health officials plan two more rounds of tests this month to establish baseline data before more tourists visiting nearby Yellowstone National Park begin to arrive in Cody, the Cody Enterprise reports.
More tests will follow throughout the summer.
The samples go to BioBot Analytics, a wastewater epidemiology company based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Park County Public Health is paying for the program with state and federal funding.
Park County has had two confirmed cases of the coronavirus for one of the lowest rates of infection in Wyoming. Statewide, Wyoming as of Tuesday had 850 confirmed and probable cases, of which 607 people had recovered. Thirteen people had died.
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.
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