Panhandle COVID-19 cases sit at 44
COEUR d’ALENE – Panhandle Health District reported no new cases of COVID-19 on April 6 in its five-county region over the past 24 hours.
On Sunday, the public health agency reported five new cases after no new cases had been confirmed the day before. That brings the total cases in the five northernmost counties to 44.
As of Monday afternoon, Kootenai County had 42 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and Bonner County had two. Shoshone, Boundary and Benewah counties have no confirmed cases.
None of the cases in North Idaho have required hospitalization, PHS said. Of the 44 total, 11 are no longer being monitored.
“We won’t use the term ‘recovered’ because that could be misleading as we don’t know if a person can contract COVID-19 more than once,” PHD spokesperson Katherine Hoyer said. “We prefer to use the term ‘no longer monitoring.’ A person is no longer being monitored when they have stayed home for our recommended period of time and have not had a fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fevers) AND other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved) AND at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.”
Epidemiologists with PHD are working to investigate cases of possible contact. All household members of confirmed cases have been asked to self-isolate at home for a prescribed period of time. If other people are found to have been exposed, health officials will provide guidance to these individuals and they will be asked to self-monitor for the development of symptoms.
PHD continues to monitor the situation closely and are working with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, city and county leaders, schools, emergency management, healthcare providers, and our community at large to help prevent the spread of this virus.
People ill with this coronavirus in other states and countries have reported mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. If community members have these symptoms and they become severe, they should call PHD’s call center at 1-877-415-5225, their provider, or the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-330-3010.
PHD will provide an over-the-phone assessment to determine if someone should be tested. Please call, do not come into PHD or your provider’s office. Tested individuals must stay home until test results are received. If the test is positive, all household members must self-isolate at home for a prescribed period of time.
Here’s a look at the Panhandle residents with COVID-19 by age group:
18 and under: 5
19 to 49: 18
50 and older: 21
And here’s a look at Panhandle residents with COVID-19 by sex:
Female: 18
Male: 26