Idaho confirms first case of ‘community spread’ coronavirus, plus case in North Idaho
Editor’s note: Idaho officials updated the situation in Blaine County late Thursday, significantly increasing the number of positive tests. Read coverage of that here.
Idaho officials on Thursday afternoon confirmed the state’s first case of coronavirus infection caused by “community spread,” meaning the virus was transmitted from one person in the community to another, rather than from travel to or a visitor from an already-infected area.
The patient, a Blaine County man in his 40s, was the 11th confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, in Idaho. South Central Public Health and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the case Wednesday.
“It no longer matters where it started, this virus is now in our community. It is important that we take precautions to slow the spread and protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Logan Hudson, SCPHD public health division administrator, in a news release. “We urge residents to follow public health recommendations to stay home as much as possible to help protect themselves and their communities.”
Though there have been four other confirmed cases of coronavirus in Blaine County, officials said the patient had no known contact with anyone who had coronavirus, nor had he traveled recently.
Officials said the man had mild symptoms and is recovering well at home.
Later in the day, the Panhandle Health District confirmed the first case of coronavirus in North Idaho’s Kootenai County. It’s the state’s 12th confirmed case and the first in North Idaho.
It’s not yet clear whether the patient, a man over 60, contracted COVID-19 from community spread or other means. The patient is experiencing mild symptoms and is self-isolating “in another state,” officials said, though they declined to provide further details.
There is no public testing available in Kootenai County, officials said in a livestream on the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page. In a news release, Panhandle Health District said the patient’s treating physician ordered the tests based on the patient’s history.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 2:31 PM.
