141: PHD sets single-day mark for most COVID-19 cases

The Panhandle Health District reported a record 141 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday. That is the highest single-day count in the PHD this year.

That brings the district’s total cases to 4,539, with 71 deaths and 33 current hospitalizations attributed to the virus.

Kootenai County had 123 new cases Tuesday, also a single-day high, bringing its total case count to 3,581.

The state’s positivity rate for COVID-19, based on 25,298 PCR rests for the week ending Oct. 10, was 11.4%, a substantial increase from 6.7% for the week ending Sept. 12.

The PHD, which had a coronavirus positivity rate of 4.3% based on 2,266 PCR tests for the week ending Aug. 29, increased to 7.7% for the week ending Oct. 10, based on 3,459 PCR tests.

Health officials continue to urge people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash their hands frequently to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.