Shoshone up to 3 active COVID cases

Kellogg Heritage Health offering tests Wednesday

KELLOGG – The Panhandle Health District reported Monday that Shoshone County’s confirmed COVID-19 count has risen to 3 since the first official case was discovered on July 2.

According to Katherine Hoyer, PHD’s Public Information Officer, the first individual diagnosed last week is a male in his 30’s. The two newest cases announced Monday are both females in their 20’s.

All these individuals have been contacted and asked to self-isolate. Contact tracing has not found a connection among the cases as of yet.

Kellogg School District Superintendent Nancy Larsen did announce Monday as well that some student-athletes have been exposed to individuals who have tested positive.

“As a precautionary method we are going to close the Kellogg High School’s weight room and volleyball activities for this week,” she said. “When we have additional information, we may need to take other measures. At this time, those programs will resume next week. Other programs will continue as planned with precautions previously established. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

As the first official COVID-19 cases of the county are discovered, Heritage Health will be offering testing for the virus at their clinic in Kellogg starting July 8.

It’s the first time Heritage Health has offered COVID-19 testing.

Heritage Health’s Allison Shifflett, the nurse manager for the Kellogg Clinic states, “This is a pilot program for Heritage Health. We’re excited to be launching it in the Silver Valley. If all goes well, Heritage Health will have testing sites at other locations throughout North Idaho.”

Tests are being given by appointment and will be offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The nasal tests are being administered in the Kellogg clinic parking lot. Results should be made available within 3-5 days.

“The community has expressed concern about the lack of testing in the county,” said Lynn Haughn, Kellogg Clinic Director. “We feel this is going to be a great service for the Silver Valley.”

All Heritage Health employees interacting with patients are required to wear masks and the clinic uses the highest safety standards and protocols.

“If you’re showing symptoms of the coronavirus, you need to contact your provider and schedule an appointment,” said Shifflett. “Testing is an important step in slowing the spread of the virus.”

As for Shoshone Medical Center, they are also still offering COVID-19 testing, but only with a doctor’s order and a confirmation of symptoms.

“Shoshone Medical Center is not designated as a community collection site for COVID-19 testing,” SMC Business Development Coordinator Shaylen Jerome said. “We have coordinated the screening and collection process with the Panhandle Health District and are referring community members to their Coronavirus Informational Hotline: 877-415-5225. Please contact them if you have any questions or feel you need to be screened for possible COVID testing.”

As of July 6, The Panhandle area has a total of 511 COVID-19 cases. There have been 440 confirmed in Kootenai County (333 active, 1 death), 39 in Bonner (29 active), 15 in Benewah (4 active), 1

in Boundary (0 active), 3 in Shoshone (3 active), and 13 are currently undetermined (4 active).

Once PHD receives notification of a confirmed case from a lab, they connect with that individual to verify their information. This can be difficult for a variety of reasons, such as: contact tracing is voluntary and relies on an individual’s willingness to participate, information provided may be incomplete/incorrect/or not provided at all, and those experiencing homelessness or are in a transient living situation may take longer to determine a primary county of residence.

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 the virus.

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.

If community members have these symptoms and they become severe, 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.

To schedule a test at Heritage Health in Kellogg, schedule a telehealth appointment with a provider by calling 208-784-1252.