Coronavirus: More Idaho prison inmates test positive, others moved to military center
Dozens of healthy inmates from Idaho prisons, some of whom tested positive for the coronavirus awhile ago but now have been medically cleared, were moved to a military training center south of Boise on Monday.
In an update Monday, Idaho Department of Corrections Director Josh Tewalt wrote that 83 people were moved to the Idaho Military Division’s Orchard Combat Training Center about 18 miles south of Boise. All of the 83 don’t currently have the virus. He wrote that this was done in order to “create safe zones and larger COVID units for symptomatic positives to allow people to be cohorted together and consolidate medical resources.”
IDOC hopes to have 140 people moved to the training center by next week, Tewalt wrote.
IDOC is not placing prisoners with active cases of COVID-19 in the barracks. That includes prisoners who are classified as asymptotic positives, said Jeff Ray, spokesperson for IDOC. Some of the men might have tested positive at some point in the past, but every one of them has been cleared and is not considered to actively be a COVID patient.
Coronavirus testing in Idaho’s prison continues, as more inmates are testing positive, and more have recovered.
According to the latest numbers from the Idaho Department of Corrections, more than 200 people in custody who tested positive for the coronavirus have been medically cleared since Thursday.
On Friday, IDOC reported that 193 people were medically cleared or were no longer in IDOC custody, the bulk of those cases involving people who tested positive but were not showing symptoms. When the numbers were updated again on Monday, the number of inactive cases (those who have been medically cleared or released from IDOC custody) grew by 17.
However, Monday’s totals also showed 65 new asymptomatic cases among the state’s incarcerated population, as well as eight more positive cases in which a person is showing symptoms.
IDOC has 172 coronavirus tests pending as of Tuesday morning, with those taken at prisons across Idaho.
The coronavirus has been a concern at correctional facilities across Idaho since the outbreak began. Frank Dawson Conover — a 66-year-old man incarcerated at the Idaho State Correctional Center in Kuna — was taken to a Boise hospital for “emergency treatment,” according to IDOC. While at the hospital, Conover tested positive for the coronavirus and died July 29.
Two days after Conover’s death, the Ada County Jail announced that it had five confirmed cases among its incarcerated population. An inmate reportedly lost the ability to taste last week, leading jail personnel to test the person immediately. Additional testing of the entire dorm revealed more cases, according to a blog post from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. As of July 30, six jail employees have tested positive for the virus, with four having recovered and returned to work.
In addition to Ada, COVID-19 cases have been found in jails in Payette and Twin Falls counties.
Idaho State Veterans Home reports first coronavirus-related death
A resident at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise has died from the coronavirus.
In a news release Tuesday, the Idaho Division of Veterans Services says its first coronavirus-related death among residents occurred last week. The resident had “multiple comorbidities” that made them more susceptible to to the virus.
“On behalf of everyone here, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this veteran. We are grieving with them,” said IDVS Chief Administrator Marv Hagedorn in the release.
The first confirmed case in the Boise veterans home was found less than a month ago, according to the release. Since then, two residents and three staff members have tested positive for the virus.
Access to the veterans home will remain limited, and anyone going into the building requires screening.
PPE donations to schools
Megaforce Company Limited and TECO in Seattle donated personal protective equipment to several Treasure Valley schools on Monday.
The company donated 3,050 face shields and 3,400 face masks, distributed by the Taiwan-Idaho Women Leadership Alliance, to Payette County, Peace Valley Charter School, the Idaho Arts Charter School, Roosevelt Elementary School in Nampa and Fruitland Elementary School.
Megaforce Company Limited has donated over 8,500 surgical masks to various locations, including the city of Boise, the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, the Red Cross of Idaho and several other entities through Megaforce International Corporation’s Boise-based office.
Five new deaths reported in Idaho, Ada cases drop
Health districts in Idaho reported five new coronavirus-related deaths Monday.
Four of the deaths were reported in Ada County, and one was found in Twin Falls County, according to statistics from local health districts. As of Monday evening, there have been 202 deaths reported in connection to the virus, according to the health districts.
Officials also added 309 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus to Idaho’s totals. While the Monday total is an increase from Sunday, the totals are improvements over last week’s numbers, which featured several totals exceeding 400 cases a day.
Ada County reported only 23 cases Monday, a noticeable drop from other recent daily totals. The county now has 7,594 confirmed cases.
Reporting the most cases Monday was Canyon County, which added 84 new cases to its total — which now sits at 4,780.
Cases were reported Monday in counties across Idaho. In addition to Ada and Canyon, double-digit new cases were reported in Latah (10), Payette (12), Kootenai (25), Twin Falls (34), Minidoka (12), Bonneville (26) and Bingham (18).
The state’s confirmed COVID-19 case total is 20,457 as of Monday evening. Of those cases, state health officials say 7,617 people are “presumed” to have recovered.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported 1,303 “probable cases” around the state. IDHW also reports that 19 new health care workers were added to the state’s totals, as 1,271 medical workers have caught the coronavirus.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in nearly all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 7,594, Adams 17, Bannock 334, Bear Lake 12, Benewah 47, Bingham 225, Blaine 556, Boise 32, Bonner 148, Bonneville 645, Boundary 35, Camas 1, Canyon 4,780, Caribou 28, Cassia 437, Clark 3, Clearwater 14, Custer 7, Elmore 195, Franklin 42, Fremont 54, Gem 144, Gooding 129, Idaho 29, Jefferson 122, Jerome 385, Kootenai 1,592, Latah 83, Lemhi 11, Lincoln 47, Madison 107, Minidoka 413, Nez Perce 117, Oneida 10, Owyhee 220, Payette 314, Power 52, Shoshone 72, Teton 57, Twin Falls 1,125, Valley 44 and Washington 178.
Community spread has been detected in the majority of Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, 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, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 9:52 AM.
