Panhandle COVID-19 case count hits 49

COEUR d’ALENE – The Panhandle Health District (PHD) announces the total number of cases of COVID-19 is 49 in the Panhandle area.

Forty-five of the cases are in Kootenai County and four in Bonner County. Details on new cases will be posted on the PHD website page in real time: www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/.

Of the total number of confirmed cases, PHD is no longer monitoring 24 individuals. A person is no longer being monitored when they have stayed home for the recommended period of time, have not had a fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers), other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved), and at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

Hospitalizations provided on the website is a tally of total hospitalizations of confirmed cases. This does not mean these patients are currently hospitalized, only that they were hospitalized for COVID-19 and are also confirmed positive with COVID-19.

PHD will make a daily announcement if there are confirmed cases within the Panhandle at noon, 7 days a week.

Community transmission has been recorded in Kootenai County. This means some of the confirmed cases are not connected to travel or contact with a confirmed case. PHD continues to urge the public to adhere to the stay-home order made by Governor Little and the 30 day slow the spread guidelines by the Federal government. Practicing social distancing strategies can slow the spread of this virus, but in order for them to be effective, everyone needs to do their part.

The Panhandle area includes the five northern counties (Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah, Bonner, and Boundary).

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 will continue 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 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 are concerned, they should call PHD’s call center at 1-877-415-5225 or their provider. 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 recommended period of time.

Individuals may also call the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-330-3010. They can provide answers to the following:

•General COVID-19 Information

•Essential Businesses

•Unemployment & Food Stamps

•Mental Health

•Childcare

•Small Business loans