No new COVID-19 cases
This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)
SANDPOINT — The statewide tally of confirmed novel coronavirus increased by 22 cases on Wednesday, although the Panhandle Health District reported no new cases in Bonner and Kootenai counties.
The latest statewide count brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1,232. There remains three confirmed cases in Bonner County and 42 cases in Kootenai County, according to the Panhandle Health District.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Boundary, Shoshone or Benewah counties, the health district said. There have been no coronavirus deaths in the Panhandle, although the disease has claimed 18 lives elsewhere in Idaho.
Three people in Idaho’s five northern counties have been hospitalized because of the virus. Fourteen people in the Panhandle who had the virus are no longer being monitored. The health district is eschewing the term “recovered” to avoid misleading the public because it remains unclear if a person can contract COVID-19 more than once.
Statewide, 113 people have been hospitalized and 29 were admitted to intensive-care units for treatment, according to the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare. A total of 113 healthcare workers have contracted the virus, Health & Welfare said.
The number of Idaho residents tested for coronavirus through commercial labs stands at 10,036, although Health & Welfare notes that some patients may have been tested for the disease more than once. The number of people tested through the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories stands at 2,495, according to the state.
Governor Brad Little signed an executive order Wednesday which forms the new Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee to oversee the approximately $1.25 billion in federal funds the state will receive to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Controller Brandon Woolf is partnering with Governor Little report the use of funds on transparent.idaho.gov, giving all Idahoans the opportunity to see how the federal funds are used.
“This federal funding – the taxpayers’ money – must be prudently managed on behalf of all taxpayers,” Governor Little said. “I can assure Idahoans that the federal funds will not be used to create new government programs in Idaho, and we will uphold our Constitutional mandate to provide a long-term, structurally balanced budget for the people of Idaho.”
Across the state line in Washington, the Northeast Tri County Health District was notified on Wednesday that there a sixth Stevens County resident who contracted the virus. The new case brings a combined total of eight cases in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties.
Newport Hospital & Health Services said on Wednesday it is receiving two ventilators for its facility. One came from the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and the other came from Pend Oreille Emergency Management through the federal stockpile. They are the only two devices in Pend Oreille County.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.