As coronavirus spreads, some neighbor states have paused reopening. Here’s why Idaho hasn’t
Twenty-five states have seen an increase in new daily coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by NPR.
Idaho is among those 25 states, as are neighboring states Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Last week, Oregon and Utah each pumped the brakes on their respective reopening processes. Oregon has seen a 217% increase (52 vs. 165) in new daily cases over the past two weeks, while Utah’s cases grew by 38% (256 vs. 354).
Nevada followed suit with a pause to its reopening process on Monday after its daily case count ballooned 105% (114 vs. 234) over the previous two weeks. The state then reported its highest single-day tally of new cases on Tuesday.
“Before expanding our reopening, and entering to Phase 3, we must continue to allow ourselves the time to evaluate this new medical information, along with the impact of reopening to make sure we’re doing all we can to protect ourselves and the capacity of our health care system to respond to the virus,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak told the Las Vegas Sun.
Idaho’s new daily case count has increased by 43.5% (36.1 vs. 51.8) over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by the Idaho Statesman. The state is currently in its fourth and final stage of reopening its economy, with the process scheduled to end June 26.
With more people venturing out, COVID-19 illness clusters have been reported by several of the state’s health districts, including possible exposures at bars in downtown Boise.
“Even though we have entered Stage 4 and businesses are open, it’s important to keep doing the things we all should be doing to protect ourselves, our families, friends, neighbors and people in the community,” wrote Elke Shaw-Tulloch, the administrator of the Division of Public Health and the state’s public health officer, in a recent IDHW blog post.
“It is our social responsibility to take precautionary measures and protect those people around us who may not be able to protect themselves. If we stay this course, we can continue to safely keep the doors open to businesses and connect with our friends and families.”
Although the number of cases may be increasing, Idaho has not experienced an overwhelming increase in hospitalizations, unlike Oregon and Utah. Idaho’s reopening plan calls for a minimum of 50 available ventilators and 50 available ICU beds. Since May 1, the state has reported no fewer than 447 available ventilators and 92 available ICU beds on a given day.
Idaho also has significantly increased testing over the past three weeks, conducting 10,533 tests May 24-30, 10,238 tests May 31-June 6 and 6,974 tests June 7-13. Those are the state’s three highest testing figures since the pandemic began, and the positivity percentage has remained below the required 5% for 10 straight weeks.
The biggest obstacle to exiting the four-stage plan may hinge on the safety of Idaho’s health care workers. During the previous 14-day window, the governor’s gating criteria document showed 28 new health care worker infections, which equates to an average of 2 per day. But during that same period, the state added 48 health care workers to the total on its data dashboard.
The criteria requires a “downward trend over most recent reported 14-day period, OR less than 2 health care workers reported/day on average over same 14-day period.”
Since the Stage 4 evaluation period began June 10, Health and Welfare has added 32 health care worker infections to the total on its data dashboard.
“It’s critical to remember that every activity involving other people has some degree of risk of getting infected with COVID-19,” Shaw-Tulloch continued. “It’s up to you and your family to manage that risk in such a way that you are protecting yourselves and others as much as possible until a vaccine or therapeutic treatment is found.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
