Governor urges caretakers to take extra precautions

Governor Brad Little said Tuesday that caretakers for people vulnerable to severe illness from the COVID-19 virus need to hold themselves to the same standards recommended for at-risk populations.

AARP Idaho hosted a telephone town hall with Governor Little, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen and state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn.

“If you are a caretaker, the standard is exactly the same for you as it is for the person who is compromised,” Little said.

The World Health Organization has determined that the COVID-19 has an incubation period of approximately 1-14 days. On average, the virus remains dormant for five days, meaning a person has the virus, but does not have symptoms of the disease.

Public health officials are concerned with caregiver exposure to the virus prior to the presentation of symptoms.

The Center for Disease Control recommends all people, but especially vulnerable populations, avoid crowds, especially in poorly-ventilated spaces. The risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation.

The CDC has said that older adults and individuals of any age with underlying medical conditions are at an increased risk of serious complications if they contract the COVID-19 virus.

The following medical conditions are included in the CDC’s assessment: blood disorders (e.g., sickle cell disease or on blood thinners); chronic kidney disease; chronic liver disease (e.g., cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis); compromised immune system or immunosuppression (e.g., seeing a doctor for cancer and treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation, received an organ or bone marrow transplant, taking high doses of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressant medications, or if a patient has HIV or AIDS); current or recent pregnancy in the last two weeks; endocrine disorders (e.g., diabetes); metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders); heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease); lung disease including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis or emphysema) or other chronic conditions associated with impaired lung function or that require home oxygen; and neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, stroke, intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injury.

The telephone town hall provided a platform for the general public to ask questions specific to the vulnerable and at-risk community. The majority of questions posed by callers focused on the availability of tests for the virus.

Governor Little formed a working group last week to ensure communities throughout the state have resources prepared for an influx of virus cases, including test kits.

“In the working group, we decide how to take CDC guidance and amplify it here in Idaho,” Jeppesen said.

Governor Little stressed the importance of Idahoans taking care of one another and looking out for their neighbors.

“There is going to be an increase in [COVID-19],” Little said. “We are doing everything we can to control that increase so our healthcare system can handle it.”