COVID-19 cases surge in region
SANDPOINT — The Panhandle Health District reported 81 new confirmed or probable cases of novel coronavirus on Tuesday, including one new infection in Bonner County.
Benewah County also recorded its first death from the virus, which causes COVID-19. Panhandle Health attributes 21 deaths in three northern counties, with 18 deaths in Kootenai County and two in Shoshone County.
The health district said there have been 2,275 confirmed or probable cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began. The district said 2,257 of the cases have been confirmed through laboratory analysis. The virus has caused 127 hospitalizations, though only 29 people are currently hospitalized, according to PHD. The district said 1,438 cases have been closed, meaning residents are no longer being monitored, have refused monitoring or have died.
Kootenai County has had 1,849 cases, 1,837 of which are lab confirmed and 638 of which are deemed active. Kootenai County saw a 47-case surge on Tuesday.
Bonner County has tallied 183 cases of the virus since the outbreak. Panhandle Health said 177 of those cases are lab confirmed and 63 remain active.
Shoshone County, which experienced a 25-case increase on Tuesday, has had 121 cases, all of which are lab-confirmed and 78 of which are active.
Boundary County, the only county not to record any new cases on Tuesday, has 37 cases, all of which are lab-confirmed. Twenty-three of Benewah’s cases are active, the health district said.
Benewah County has seen 63 cases during the course of the pandemic. All the cases are lab-confirmed and 26 remain active, PHD said.
There are an additional 22 cases involving people whose primary county of residence is undetermined. Each of those cases are lab-confirmed and nine remain active.
Young adults in the Panhandle are being hit the hardest by the virus in terms of numbers, but the elderly are paying the heaviest price, according to PHD statistics.
The virus has afflicted 591 Panhandle residents between the ages of 18-29. The district said 299 Panhandle residents between the ages of 50-59 have been infected, while 298 residents between the ages of 40-49.
Most of the deaths — 19 — involve Panhandle residents between the ages of 70-99. The youngest person to die because of the virus was in the 60-69 age range, according to PHD.
The virus, meanwhile, has hit men and women in the Panhandle equally hard. The district said 1,191 women in the Panhandle have contracted the virus, compared to 1,081 men. Three infections involve residence whose gender is undetermined.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare reported 495 new confirmed or probable cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 25,595 with 264 deaths.
The Northeast Tri-County Health District in Washington state reported one new case in Pend Oreille County. Pend Oreille County has 44 confirmed cases, while Ferry and Stevens counties have 109 and 24 cases, respectively. All told, there are 177 confirmed cases in the tri-county area.
The Montana State Department of Public Health reported 97 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, elevating the statewide total to 5,104 cases.
There are 12 cases in Lincoln County and none in Sanders County, the state said.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.