Coronavirus: Idaho inmate dies of COVID-19 in hospital, 8 deaths reported Wednesday
The Idaho Department of Corrections announced Wednesday that a man in its custody died after contracting the coronavirus.
In a news release, IDOC said 66-year-old Frank Dawson Conover was taken to a Bose hospital last week for “emergency treatment.” Conover was being held at the Idaho State Correctional Center, a men’s prison in Kuna.
While in the hospital, Conover tested positive for COVID-19 while receiving treatment for “other serious underlying health conditions,” the news release says.
Wednesday morning at 4:49, Conover was pronounced dead.
This is the first coronavirus-related death among people in IDOC custody.
ISCC, the Kuna prison where Conover was previously housed, was the first Idaho prison with a confirmed case among inmates. The first confirmed inmate case was made public in late June.
Since then, IDOC has conducted regular mass testing of those incarcerated in the prison, and numerous inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. As of Wednesday evening, 48 staff members at the prison had tested positive for COVID-19.
Democratic convention canceled in Ada County
The Idaho Democratic convention has canceled its in-person event for 2020 due to the rising cases of coronavirus and needed safety restrictions.
The 2018 Idaho Democratic Party platform will remain in place until the 2022 state convention, according to a news release.
“As Idaho Democrats, the safety and well-being of our delegates and members is of the utmost importance,” according to the news release. “With the current mandate in Ada County prohibiting gatherings larger than 50 people, it would be impossible to safely gather 300-400 Idaho Democrats for a state convention. We are confident that 2020 will be a strong and exciting year and we look forward to electing and reelecting Idaho Democrats in November.”
Eight COVID-19 deaths reported Wednesday in Idaho
In the past three days, 28 new coronavirus-related deaths have been reported by state health officials. Wednesday brought eight new deaths scattered around Idaho.
Ada County saw three of those deaths, and Canyon County was the site of two. Single deaths were reported Wednesday in Shoshone, Minidoka and Kootenai counties, according to local and state health officials.
The person who died in Shoshone County was a man in his 80s, according to a news release Thursday from the Panhandle Health District. The man was hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications when he died, and this is the first death reported in Shoshone County.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones as they grieve their loss,” said Lora Whalen, PHD Director, in the news release. “It is vital for our community to take this virus seriously. COVID-19 is highly contagious and we ask that individuals take the necessary precautions to protect their fellow citizens.”
No additional information was provided by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare regarding the other deaths reported Wednesday. Idaho’s fatality rate for the virus is around 0.89% as of Wednesday.
There have been 176 coronavirus-related deaths in Idaho since the outbreak began.
Two Idaho counties reported noticeable upticks in cases on Wednesday. Elmore County reported 30 confirmed cases, bringing its total to 178. Bonneville County reported 83 new cases, and its total now sits at 495. Wednesday’s totals marked single-day highs for both counties, as Elmore’s previous high was seven and Bonneville’s was 42.
In total, 559 new confirmed cases were reported Wednesday in Idaho, bringing the state total to 18,569 cases.
Dozens of Idaho counties reported new cases Wednesday, including 129 in Ada and 106 in Canyon. Counties that reported double-digit totals Wednesday were Bannock (10), Bingham (14), Jefferson (15), Jerome (10), Kootenai (51), Minidoka (11), Payette (12), and Twin Falls (28).
IDHW added 26 new “probable cases” to its totals, which now sits at 1,176.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in nearly all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 7,065, Adams 17, Bannock 295, Bear Lake 12, Benewah 39, Bingham 188, Blaine 551, Boise 27, Bonner 133, Bonneville 495, Boundary 33, Camas 1, Canyon 4,306, Caribou 28, Cassia 401, Clark 2, Clearwater 14, Custer 7, Elmore 178, Franklin 38, Fremont 34, Gem 132, Gooding 111, Idaho 26, Jefferson 92, Jerome 351, Kootenai 1,404, Latah 68, Lemhi 10, Lincoln 44, Madison 100, Minidoka 384, Nez Perce 109, Oneida 9, Owyhee 191, Payette 279, Power 36, Shoshone 56, Teton 50, Twin Falls 1,043, Valley 42 and Washington 168.
Community spread has been detected in 37 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 9:15 AM.
