Five new COVID-19 cases in Panhandle Health District
Following the evening briefing of the Kootenai County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Unified Command, Wednesday’s report shows five new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Panhandle Health District, bringing the total to 37, with 36 in Kootenai County and one in Bonner County.
Details on new cases are posted and updated in real time on www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/.
If you begin to show symptoms associated with COVID-19 (cough, fever, and difficulty breathing), ensure you quarantine. If you are tested for COVID-19, ensure that you self-isolate until you receive your test results. The importance of self-isolating cannot be stressed enough. However, when the symptoms subside you need to continue to self-isolate for an additional 72 hours before removing yourself from isolation.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there on social media. So for the most accurate and up-to-date information on COVID-19 please continue to follow the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kootenaioem/.
As we move into our second week of quarantine due to the CORVID-19 virus, we hope that you are remembering the many others who commonly live a life of isolation and rely on visits from all of us to keep their spirits up. In this stressful time, let’s remember to reach out to those who are normally shut-ins, the elderly, those confined to long-term care facilities and such. Even though we cannot go and visit, it isn’t hard to reach out by phone just for a visit. You can also use any of the myriad of apps for smartphones, tablets and computers to actually see each other while you visit. We have heard of groups that normally get together that are now having virtual coffee meetings and even virtual cocktail parties, all from the safety of their own homes. Let’s help each other and remember to reach out to those who are more likely desperate to be reached.
Unified Commanders,
Sheriff Ben Wolfinger
Chief Chris Way