Eastern Idaho health district makes plea to residents due to ‘alarming’ hospitalizations
On the same day Eastern Idaho Public Health reported 132 new cases of COVID-19, the health district’s board chair and director asked residents for help slowing the spread of the virus.
The Idaho Falls and Rexburg metropolitan areas were recently declared among the worst outbreak areas in the country by the New York Times. Bonneville County, which includes the city of Idaho Falls, added 99 new COVID-19 cases (13,508 total) on Friday, while Madison County’s caseload increased by 13 (6,676 total) and Jefferson County saw an increase of 12 cases (2,675 total).
Eastern Idaho Public Health says the increase in cases has created a rise in hospitalizations and disruptions at worksites and schools, with more people needing to isolate or quarantine due to exposure. Bonneville County’s test positivity rate was 18.9% for the week of March 7-13, and Madison County was even higher at 20%.
“Sadly, we are starting to see a surge of COVID-19 cases, primarily in Bonneville County (but also Madison, Jefferson, and Fremont counties). We are nearing the critical risk level again, and our hospital system is experiencing an alarming number of admissions due to the virus,” EIPH board chair Byron Reed and EIPH director Geri Rackow wrote in a joint statement. “With a safe and effective vaccine available, it is heartbreaking and unnecessary to have this level of sickness and loss of life at this very late stage of the pandemic.
“We, as a community, know what must be done to stop this rapid spread of the virus, and it should not require a public health order. By following Eastern Idaho Public Health’s guidelines, we can stop this sudden surge of cases. This will protect our hospital system, our local economy, and will prevent unnecessary illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. We would like everyone to choose to be part of the solution of getting this virus more under control.”
To help slow the spread, EIPH asks residents to stay home when sick, wear face coverings in public, maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from non-household members and wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds.
“We ask that within your own lives, as well as your spheres of influence, please implement the actions necessary to stop this rapid spread of virus in our community and encourage others to do the same so we can move to the other side of this pandemic and return to the sense of normalcy we all desire,” the EIPH statement continued. “We are not there yet, but it is anticipated that by mid-June, all Idaho adults wanting the COVID-19 vaccine will have an opportunity to receive it. So, by coming together for the next few months, we can finish strong and cross the finish line.”
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported a combined 383 new cases of COVID-19 statewide on Friday. The state’s seven-day moving average stayed above 300 for the eighth consecutive day at 320.3 cases per day.
Four new coronavirus-related deaths were added in Bingham (1 new, 67 total), Bonneville (1 new, 156 total), Gem (1 new, 34 total) and Twin Falls (1 new, 125 total) counties. Health and Welfare also removed one death from Valley County (6 total).
To date, Idaho has lost 1,941 residents to the virus, with a case fatality rate of about 1.1%.
The latest death in Bonneville County was a woman in her 70s, according to EIPH. Southeastern Idaho Public Health said the Bingham County death was a woman in her 80s.
Ada County experienced the largest increase in cases Friday, rising by 107 cases to 48,273 overall. Canyon (43 new, 25,230 total), Bannock (23 new, 8,213 total), Nez Perce (15 new, 3,445 total), Bingham (14 new, 4,522 total) and Kootenai (10 new, 17,019 total) counties all grew by double digits.
The other counties reporting new cases were Benewah (1 new, 641 total), Blaine (4 new, 2,214 total), Bonner (6 new, 3,064 total), Boundary (1 new, 836 total), Clark (1 new, 56 total), Clearwater (2 new, 1,016 total), Elmore (4 new, 1,659 total), Franklin (1 new, 1,105 total), Fremont (2 new, 1,058 total), Gem (3 new, 1,713 total), Jerome (1 new, 2,529 total), Latah (4 new, 2,883 total), Lemhi (1 new, 514 total), Oneida (1 new, 335 total), Owyhee (2 new, 1,030 total), Payette (5 new, 2,417 total), Power (1 new, 638 total), Shoshone (2 new, 1,033 total), Teton (4 new, 1,129 total) and Washington (3 new, 1,191 total).
Health and Welfare removed one case each from Gooding (1,275 total) and Valley (817 total) counties.
More eligible for vaccines in Boise, Lewiston areas
Central District Health: Beginning Monday, residents in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties who are 55 years and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, with no qualifying medical condition required.
Idaho North Central District: Effective immediately, residents in Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties who are 35 years and older are eligible to start scheduling vaccination appointments.
“With an increased availability of COVID-19 vaccine supply and available appointments throughout our district, we are ready to move on to this next age group,” said Carol Moehrle, Idaho North Central District director. “Public Health and our community providers will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccine to frontline workers that do not meet the age requirement and all other previously eligible priority groups.”
Long-term care update
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare released its weekly update on COVID-19 in care facilities Friday.
Outbreaks at Idaho facilities remained steady at 316 overall, while total individual cases grew by only 24 (9,218 total) and deaths rose by seven to 777.
Active cases decreased to 3,594 at 83 facilities — down from 3,846 at 90 facilities last week. There are 233 facilities with resolved outbreaks.
Below is a list of long-term care facilities by city that have active cases of the coronavirus among residents and/or staff:
American Falls: Power County Nursing Home; Boise: Edgewood Spring Creek-Overland, Garden Plaza of Valley View-Valley View Nursing & Rehab, Garden Plaza of Valley View-The Bridge at Valley View, Arbor Village at Hillcrest, MorningStar Senior Living of Boise, Edgewood Spring Creek Memory Care-Five Mile, Edgewood Plantation Place, Ashley Manor-Cloverdale, Grace Assisted Living at Englefield Green, Ashley Manor-Cory Lane (formerly AarenBrooke Place), Life Care of Treasure Valley, Avamere Transitional Care, Riverview Rehabilitation, Park Place Assisted Living of Boise, Ashley Manor-Harmony, Grace Memory Care, MorningStar Memory Care at Englefield Green, Ashley Manor-Elgin Way, Brookdale Boise Parkcenter, Regency Columbia Village, Independent Living Services Milclay;
Chubbuck: Brookdale Chubbuck; Coeur d’Alene: Advanced Health Care of Coeur d’Alene, Life Care Center of Coeur d’Alene, Coeur d’Alene Health and Rehab of Cascadia, Rose Terrace Cottages, Bristol Heights Assisted Living, Brookdale Coeur d’Alene, Lodge at Fairway Forest, Ivy Court, Renaissance at Coeur d’Alene, LaCrosse Health & Rehab, Creekside Inn Assisted Living; Eagle: Edgewood Spring Creek Eagle Island, Paramount Parks; Fruitland: Edgewood Spring Creek Fruitland; Garden City: Emerson House at Riverpointe; Hayden: Wellspring Meadows; Idaho Falls: Life Care Center of Idaho Falls, Yellowstone Group Home No. 1, Parkwood Meadows, MorningStar of Idaho Falls, Teton Post-Acute Care and Rehab;
Jerome: Creekside Care Center; Kootenai: Hearthstone Village; Lewiston: Wedgewood Terrace; McCall: McCall Rehab and Care Center; Meridian: Creekside Transitional Care, Touchmark at Meadow Lake Village, Alpine Meadows Assisted Living, Harmony Hills, Tomorrow’s Hope-Deb, Aspen Transitional Rehab, Aspire-Elk Run, Veranda Senior Living-Paramount; Montpelier: Bear Lake Manor, Bear Lake Memorial Skilled Nursing; Mountain Home: Country Living Retirement of Mountain Home, Cottages of Mountain Home; Nampa: Meadow View Nursing & Rehab, Orchards of Cascadia, Wellspring of Cascadia, Heron Place, Aspire-Sunset Oaks; Orofino: Brookside Landing;
Pocatello: Gateway Transitional Care Center, Quinn Meadows Rehab & Care Center, Brookdale Pocatello; Post Falls: Life Care of Post Falls, The Bridge at Post Falls, Guardian Angel Homes; Rathdrum: Generations Assisted Living; Rexburg: Homestead Assisted Living Rexburg; Rigby: Rigby Country Living Center; Sandpoint: Life Care Center of Sandpoint, Huckleberry Retirement Homes II; Silverton: Good Samaritan Society-Silver Wood Village; St. Anthony: Homestead Assisted Living-St. Anthony; St. Maries: Valley Vista Care-St. Maries; Twin Falls: Serenity Transitional Care, The Canyons Retirement Community, Brookdale Twin Falls, Bridgeview Estates-Assisted Living, Bridgeview Estates-Skilled Nursing.
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 578,288, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 225,158 people have been fully vaccinated.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 7,428 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,275 admissions to the ICU and 9,849 health care workers infected. Hospital and health care numbers are based on cases with completed investigations into contacts, not the full number of positives.
St. Luke’s Health System: As of March 18, the health system was reporting 15 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 483 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 4%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of March 18, the health system was reporting 16 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 367 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 8.1%.
Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since March 16: Borah High (2), North Jr. High (2), Owyhee Elementary (1), Valley View Elementary (1), Whittier Elementary (1).
West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for March 6-19: Centennial High (2), Eagle High (4), Meridian High (2), Rocky Mountain High (2), Eagle Middle (2), Heritage Middle (1), Lake Hazel Middle (2), Meridian Middle (2), Star Middle (2), Victory Middle (1), Barbara Morgan STEM Academy (2), Eagle Hills Elementary (1), Hillsdale Elementary (2), Pepper Ridge Elementary (1), Ponderosa Elementary (2), Siena Elementary (5).
Total COVID-19 cases by county (confirmed + probable): Ada 48,273, Adams 332, Bannock 8,213, Bear Lake 363, Benewah 641, Bingham 4,522, Blaine 2,214, Boise 318, Bonner 3,064, Bonneville 13,508, Boundary 836, Butte 201, Camas 71, Canyon 25,230, Caribou 630, Cassia 2,884, Clark 56, Clearwater 1,016, Custer 238, Elmore 1,659, Franklin 1,105, Fremont 1,058, Gem 1,713, Gooding 1,275, Idaho 1,168, Jefferson 2,675, Jerome 2,529, Kootenai 17,019, Latah 2,883, Lemhi 514, Lewis 383, Lincoln 489, Madison 6,676, Minidoka 2,302, Nez Perce 3,445, Oneida 335, Owyhee 1,030, Payette 2,417, Power 638, Shoshone 1,033, Teton 1,129, Twin Falls 9,092, Valley 817, Washington 1,191.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 10:23 PM.
