COVID-19 cases low, caution high

The number of coronavirus cases in Kootenai County and North Idaho remains low.

As of Tuesday there were 66 cases of COVID-19 in the Panhandle area, said Katherine Hoyer, Panhandle Health District spokesperson. Kootenai County has 62 total cases. In the past two weeks, there have been eight new cases, all in Kootenai County. There have been just two new cases in Kootenai County since April 28.

There are no current hospitalizations due to the coronavirus and five total hospitalizations overall in the Panhandle.

While the numbers are low, health officials say people should be diligent in safeguarding against the coronavirus.

“We continue to advise people to stay home when sick, wash hands often, clean and disinfect regularly, wear cloth face coverings when out in public where social distancing is more difficult, and maintain social distancing,” Hoyer said.

There are a few schools of thought about why North Idaho has done so well in staying relatively coronavirus-free.

“Certainly our relatively low population density in our area could play a part in our low case count, but I also think our community is doing an excellent job in responding to this crisis and adhering to the guidelines,” Hoyer said. “If we keep it up we can hopefully continue to see those low numbers.”