PHD director: Take COVID-19 more seriously

97 new cases in one day; count reaches 689

COEUR d’ALENE — An increase of nearly 100 cases of the coronavirus in the Panhandle Health District in one day was not a surprise to PHD Director Lora Whalen.

“I expected to see the increase based on the bars opening and lack of social distancing that we’re seeing in our community,” she said Thursday.

She said crowds, closed space and close contact are key factors in the recent spread of COVID-19 that is threatening the community.

“Those are the three Cs that lead to the spread of the virus,” she said, adding that, “we have seen a lot of cases that are coming from venues where you add those three things up.”

Through contact tracing of COVID cases, PHD has found there are common places people have visited. Some are on Sherman Avenue, she said, declining to provide specific names.

The Panhandle area now has a total of 689 COVID-19 cases, including 97 new cases Thursday, a single-day record, according to the PHD.

Kootenai County’s coronavirus count rose to 595, an increase of 81 cases.

Five people are hospitalized and there has been a total of 22 hospitalizations.

PHD said 210 cases are no longer being monitored.

There has been one death in Kootenai County attributed to the coronavirus.

Benewah County remained at 15 cases, Bonner County rose 18 to 57, Boundary County is at two and Shoshone County rose five to eight, PHD said.

PHD reported that the age group of 18 to 29 has the most COVID-19 cases at 252.

When restaurants, salons and gyms reopened May 16 under Gov. Brad Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan, PHD reported 68 coronavirus cases.

On May 30, bars were allowed to reopen. Idaho entered stage four on June 13, which allowed nightclubs and large venues to open.

Whalen said hospitalizations have remained low, which is good. It is a sign that the earlier stay-home order and other efforts to flatten the curve and prevent spread of the virus were effective.

It could also be that those getting the virus now are mostly younger and are not as affected by it. Whalen said the majority of those who get the virus would only have mild symptoms.

But she said more hospitalizations could happen if people aren’t vigilant about hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks.

“We may well see in the next couple of weeks increases in hospitalizations,” she said.

And that’s because the virus spreads easily in closed spaces, Whalen said.

PHD has said viruses are released in droplets during exhalation, coughing, and even talking. Research indicates that droplets can be small enough to remain aloft in the air, a press release said.

Maintaining health care capacity is critical, Whalen said. Will there be enough hospital beds to handle a sudden rise in COVID patients?

“Can we take care of them?” Whalen asked. “Right now in Kootenai County, we’re OK. But will we be here in two weeks? I don’t know. That really is key.”

She said many people in North Idaho are a bit too relaxed about the virus and need to take COVID-19 more seriously, think about how their actions can affect businesses, and added it will take a partnership to stop its spread.

That partnership also involves health care, businesses, first responders and elected officials, Whalen said.

“Everyone needs to play a part,” she said.

Whalen also emphasized personal responsibility in preventing the spread of the virus. Otherwise, she said the number of infections could continue to rise and threaten the community’s physical and economic health.

She pointed to the rise in Spokane County, which has 1,902 confirmed cases as of Thursday, as a warning to North Idaho.

She understands people want to visit bars, have a beer and chat, but they need to “understand what kind of situation you’re going into,” Whalen said.

“We can’t control what this virus is doing right now,” she said.

While PHD strongly endorses communitywide masking, it is not seeking that it be mandatory, as Whalen said it would be difficult to enforce.

Instead, she called for continued focus on hand washing, social distancing and voluntarily wearing a mask where physical distancing isn’t possible.

“We need people to do these things,” she said, “because they work.”

Whalen is confident the community will respond to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and do all it can to prevent its spread.

“We live in a great community with incredibly caring folks,” she said.