First case of COVID-19 in Shoshone County has been confirmed

The Panhandle Health District (PHD) has confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a male in his 30s in Shoshone County. The individual has been contacted and advised to self-isolate. The Panhandle area has a total of 385 COVID-19 cases. There have been 325 in Kootenai county, 33 in Bonner county, 13 in Benewah county, 1 in Boundary county, 1 in Shoshone, and 13 are currently undetermined county.

Once we receive notification of a confirmed case from a lab, we connect with that individual to verify their information. This can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Contact tracing is voluntary and we rely on an individual’s willingness to participate. Information provided may be incomplete, incorrect, or not provided at all. Those experiencing homelessness or are in a transient living situation are other possible reasons it may take longer to determine a primary county of residence.

We are working diligently to gather complete and accurate information and when we have it we will release it.

PHD epidemiologists will conduct contact tracing and close contacts will be contacted if they are potentially at risk. Additional case-specific information about this individual is confidential and will not be released.

“Our call center is available until 5pm today and then we will close until Monday when we open at 8am,” said Lora Whalen, PHD Director. “We continue to urge everyone to practice the precautions we know can help slow the spread of this virus. Heading into 4th of July weekend we know if may be tempting to let our guard down, but we need everyone to stay healthy in order to keep our businesses open.”

PHD will continue to monitor the situation closely and are working with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, city leaders, schools, emergency management, healthcare providers, and our community at large to help prevent the further spread of this virus. The Panhandle area covers the 5 northern counties, Kootenai, Bonner, Benewah, Boundary, and Shoshone.

According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fever

Chills

Muscle pain

Sore throat

New loss of taste or smell

This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.