Gretchen Baldwin has faced her fair share of difficulties in 2020. She’s also equally found a new sense of purpose and service in 2020.
Back in March, Baldwin was working at Sweetwater Pediatrics as a nurse. One day, her world took an unexpected turn as she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare cancer that is found in the lymphatic system of the immune system.
Suddenly, doctors appointments and rest began to occupy her schedule. Instead of helping others in her role as a nurse, she was now on the other end.
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“I took time off due to my weakened immune system, chemo treatments every other week and trying to focus on the healing process,” Baldwin said.
COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Rock Springs, distribution begins
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Vaccination of frontline workers at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County began immediately.
“We did not want to wait,” said MHSC Pathologist Dr. Cielette Karn. “There are people who want to get vaccinated now. There are really a lot of people wanting to get going on this.”
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MHSC ICU Nurse Weston Turner was the first person in Sweetwater County to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination.
“I feel honored to be part of such a momentous occasion,” Turner said. “It’s all part of helping in the process of finding a cure for COVID.”
Turner, who has worked for the hospital just three days, said the shot didn’t hurt, but “it would have been better with a beer.”
CHEYENNE According to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), the number of COVID-19 Coronavirus hospitalizations stayed relatively stable over the weekend as active cases continued to decline.
As of December 20, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wyoming sat at 162 patients, according to the WDH’s hospitalization report. Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and Wyoming Medical Center out of Casper both have 33 patients each. Campbell County Memorial Hospital has the next most hospitalizations with 25 patients.
Active lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 is currently at 1,908. Active cases one month ago were in the 9,000s, with 9,838 cases on November 22.
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Among Wyoming residents, there have been 36,392 lab-confirmed cases, 34,484 case recoveries, and 351 confirmed deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. There are currently 5,726 probable cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued some recommendations for celebrating Christmas this year in the time of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, which include limiting gatherings to immediate household members.
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“People who do not currently live in your housing unit, such as college students who are returning home from school for the holidays, should be considered part of different household,” the CDC said. “In-person gatherings that bring together family members or friends from different households, including college students returning home, pose varying levels of risk.”
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