By The Wyoming News Exchange

The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases grew by 45 in Wyoming on Thursday as 14 counties reported new cases.

Meanwhile, the number of recoveries seen since the illness was first detected in Wyoming in mid-March grew by 45 as the number of active cases in the state increased to 597.

The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, said 14 counties reported new laboratory-confirmed cases on Thursday: Albany, Campbell, Fremont, Hot Springs, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton, Uinta and Washakie. Teton County had the highest growth with 13 new cases.

The increase, along with growth of 13 in probable cases, left the state with 597 active cases, an increase of 15 from Wednesday.

Laramie County had 117 active cases, Fremont County had 94; Teton County had 56; Carbon had 47; Park had 43; Sweetwater had 39; Uinta had 37; Natrona had 34; Lincoln had 31; Albany had 30; Campbell and Sheridan had 19; Sublette had 16; Goshen and Hot Springs had four; Big Horn had three, and Converse, Platte, Washakie and Weston had one.

Crook, Johnson and Niobrara had no active cases.

Among the active cases, 490 were in patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus and 107 were in patients with probable cases.

Active cases are determined by adding the total confirmed and probable coronavirus cases diagnosed since the illness first surfaced in Wyoming on March 12, subtracting the number of recoveries during the same period among patients with both confirmed and probable cases and taking into account the number of deaths attributed to the illness.

The growth in laboratory-confirmed cases brought to 2,217 the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases seen since the pandemic began in March.

The number of probable cases, meanwhile, grew by 13 to total 469. A probable case is defined as one where a patient has coronavirus symptoms and has been in contact with someone with a confirmed case, but has not been tested for the illness.

Of the 2,686 patients with confirmed or probable cases, 2,065 have recovered since March, according to the Department of Health. Of those recoveries, 1,703 have been in patients with confirmed cases and the remaining 362 have been seen in patients with probable cases.

A recovery is defined as when a patient goes for three days without a temperature and has seen improvement in respiratory problems.