Shoshone COVID-19 cases double to six
KELLOGG – The Panhandle Health District reported Wednesday that Shoshone County’s confirmed COVID-19 count has risen to 6 since the first official case was discovered on July 2.
According to Katherine Hoyer, PHD’s Public Information Officer, the three newest diagnosed case are a male in his 30's, another male in his 40's, and a female in her 50's.
The first individual diagnosed last week was a male in his 30’s and the two cases announced Monday were both females in their 20’s.
Heritage Health is now offering testing for the virus at their clinic in Kellogg starting July 8.
This is the first time Heritage Health has offered COVID-19 testing at one of their locations.
Heritage Health’s Allison Shifflett, the nurse manager for the Kellogg Clinic stated, “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 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 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 8, The Panhandle area has a total of 592 COVID-19 cases (413 active). There have been 514 confirmed in Kootenai County (377 active, 1 death), 44 in Bonner (26 active), 15 in Benewah (1 active), 1 in Boundary (0 active), 6 in Shoshone (6 active), and 12 are currently undetermined (3 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.