With Wyoming's announcement that it had confirmed its first loss of life from COVID-19, there are now recorded deaths from the novel coronavirus in all 50 US states.
On Monday, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said he was "saddened" to share the news that the state had lost its first citizen to the pandemic.
"This one was close to home and sadly serves as a grim reminder of the importance of following public health orders and guidance so we can reduce the number of serious illnesses and deaths in our state," Gordon said. "Jennie and I extend our thoughts and prayers to this gentleman’s family and friends."
Wyoming's update, as CNN and others have noted, indeed means all 50 states now have at least one recorded coronavirus death.
The raw data thus far (as of Tuesday) shows more than 580,000 confirmed cases across the country and more than 23,000 deaths. New York has the most total cases (196,146) and deaths (10,058). Given the disparity in testing availability and related factors from state to state, particularly in areas like Alabama where those without insurance face a series of hurdles when attempting to get tested, it's difficult to accurately measure just how prevalent the novel coronavirus is even in regions of the country that are less populous.
Preposterously, there are still people out there not taking any of this with even the slightest semblance of seriousness. Earlier this month, for example, 44 goddamn idiots from the University of Texas at Austin returned from a Spring Break trip with COVID-19.
