New cases for day lowest since early July

The number of new coronavirus cases reported by the Panhandle Health District was 30 on Tuesday, the lowest single-day count in nearly a month. The single-day count was last lower on July 7, when there were 25 new cases.

There was one more death of a Kootenai County resident, bringing the total of deaths in the PHD attributed to COVID-19 to 15. All have been over 70 years old.

There have been 1,958 total cases in the PHD, with 1,290 considered closed, and 31 currently hospitalized, PHD reported.

A Kootenai County official who wanted to remain anonymous said five bailiffs at the courthouse have tested positive for the virus. The Press had not heard back from the county’s human resources director for further information by press time.

Kootenai County had 27 new coronavirus cases Tuesday and stands at 1,630. Bonner is at 154, Shoshone is at 73, Benewah stands at 48 and Boundary is 35.

In the past month, PHD has reported single-day new cases as high as 107, with many over 50.

In Kootenai County, with 165,000 people, there are 668 cases considered active, about 0.4 percent of the county’s population.

The reduced number of new cases Tuesday is a welcome change from previous reports, but health officials remind people to wear masks in public places around people, per the mandate recently passed by the PHD board, wash hands, sanitize highly used areas and maintain social distancing.

While most people who get COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover quickly, it can cause severe illness and even death in others, and is a particular threat to the elderly and those with health issues.