Idaho fails Stage 4 of coronavirus recovery for 5th time. Hospitalizations remain too high
Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced Friday the state will stay in Stage 4 of the Idaho Rebounds plan for at least two more weeks — setting up a sixth attempt at the final stage of his coronavirus recovery plan.
Idaho’s new coronavirus cases average dropped from 463 per day during the fourth attempt to 433.3 during the fifth attempt, and the state’s test positivity percentage has declined four straight weeks. It was at 9.9% for Aug. 2-15. Idaho passed that part of the criteria based on downward trends.
The state also passed criteria for health care capacity, including a downward trend in new reports of health care worker infections.
However, a metric that was added during the fourth attempt at Stage 4 and tweaked for the fifth attempt tripped up the state again. The new version requires the state to have fewer than eight new hospital admissions per day of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The average was about 13.9, according to a chart distributed by the governor’s office. There were more than 30 admissions on Monday.
During the previous attempt, the metric was 4 admissions per day based on confirmed COVID-19 cases. The state failed that one, too, with about 7.9 admissions per day.
When Idaho began Stage 4 on June 13, its 14-day average was 38.9 new confirmed and probable cases per day. That number spiked to 521.5 on July 22 and was down to 406.6 on Thursday.
“We like the trend,” Little said of the improving metrics, “but it’s just not fast enough.”
While most of Idaho will stay in Stage 4, Ada County is still in Stage 3, a move made by Central District Health.
On Thursday, Idaho’s seven health districts reported 375 new coronavirus cases around the state, as well as seven new deaths.
The governor held his press conference at the Idaho Foodbank to announce the Stage 4 decision, as well as the approval of funding for the food bank.
Little also announced the approval of $2.56 million in CARES Act funding to go toward the Idaho Foodbank and its partners in all of Idaho’s 44 counties. The governor noted that almost half of the Idaho Foodbank’s partners are schools where food programs and pantries feed children during both the school week and on weekends.
“Many Idahoans have experienced a job loss or loss in income since the spring, making it harder to afford the most basic human needs,” Little said. “As a result, more and more Idaho families are turning to their local food banks and food assistance programs during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Karen Vauk, president and CEO of the Idaho Foodbank, thanked Little and the governor’s office for accepting her organization’s proposal to help those struggling with food insecurity in Idaho. Vauk said the COVID-19 outbreak increased food insecurity in Idaho, leading to more people visiting their local food bank.
The funds will be used to stock food banks, shelters and other nonprofits around the state, and help ease burdens on families trying to navigate the pandemic.
“Thank you for your generous support, and for the confirmation that Idahoans really do take care of each other,” Vauk said.
Schools reopening
In past news conferences, Little has repeatedly pushed for schools to have in-person classes this fall. On Friday, he reiterated his desire to have classes in-person wherever possible but said many have legitimate concerns with gathering classes together.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Little said.
He went on to say that school districts and local health districts should make plans for opening, but also be aware that those plans could quickly change.
“I want the default to be everyone’s open,” Little said. “But I also want the default to be, at a certain point in time to keep your students safe, your community safe, your staff safe when you can.”
During his Aug. 6 news conference, he outlined how the state has put $201 million toward this goal, including the allocation of $48 million to boost schools’ tech and internet resources, along with $10 million for personal protective equipment and $21 million to expand COVID-19 testing for teachers and school staff.
Some schools, like in the city of Boise and Payette County, have already reported COVID-19 cases. Last week, the Boise School District reported a presumed positive case at South Junior High before classes even began.
Payette High School had an outbreak of the virus among its football team just a week after it started practice. The school district originally scheduled to start the school year on Monday, and it will now start one day later despite the positives.
Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist, said during the Friday news conference that the state is developing plans with schools on how to respond and notify parents and the public if cases start to arise in schools. She said those meetings will take place Friday and during the following week.
“We want to be transparent, but we also don’t want to have parents hearing about things different ways that they didn’t expect,” Hahn said.
Idaho Legislature’s special session
Earlier this week, Little officially called for a special legislative session to begin Monday in Boise. The Legislature will deal with two main topics: the coronavirus pandemic and the November election.
The three bills posed by Little during the session — two regarding the election and the other on liability reforms for handling the coronavirus — were outlined in the governor’s proclamation, which was made public on Wednesday.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 12:06 PM.
