Seven new COVID-19 cases in county
(Image courtesy PANHANDLE HEALTH DISTRICT) Panhandle Health District reported 56 new COVID-19 cases in the Idaho Panhandle. None of the new cases were reported in Boundary County, leaving the community as the only one in the five northern counties without an active confirmed case.
SANDPOINT — Two more novel coronavirus deaths in Kootenai County and seven new infections in Bonner County were reported by the Panhandle Health District on Wednesday.
The health district said 74 confirmed or probable cases of the virus emerged, bringing the total number of cases in the five northern counties to 2,349, 2,330 of which are confirmed through laboratory analysis. There are 1,504 closed cases, which pertains to residents who are no longer being monitored, have refused monitoring or have died, according to PHD.
The virus has caused 136 hospitalizations since the outbreak began. There are 26 Panhandle residents who are currently hospitalized, the health district said.
The virus, which causes COVID-19, is blamed for 24 deaths, 20 of which were in Kootenai County. Three have died in Shoshone County and one has died in Benewah County, according to the health district.
Bonner County has logged 189 cases since the pandemic began. The health district said 182 of those cases are lab-confirmed and 59 are active.
Boundary County, meanwhile, has accrued 38 cases, one of which emerged Wednesday. All of Boundary County’s cases are lab-confirmed and 22 are active, the health district said.
Kootenai County added 56 new cases on Wednesday, bringing that county’s total number of cases to 1,905, Panhandle Health said. Of that sum, 1,893 are lab-confirmed and 645 remain active.
Eight new cases of the virus were reported in Shoshone County on Wednesday, nudging the total case count to 129, 83 of which are active. All of the county’s cases are lab-confirmed, the health district said.
Benewah County added 4 new confirmed cases, lifting its case total to 67. Of those cases, 27 are deemed active, the health district said. There are an additional 21 cases involving people whose primary county of residency is undetermined. All of the cases are lab-confirmed and nine are active, according to PHD.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare reported 538 new probable or confirmed cases, bringing the statewide total to 26,133. Health & Welfare said the virus is attributable to 246 deaths across the state.
Idaho ranks 32nd in the nation for social distancing, according to TOP Data, which analyzed mobility data to determine the number of daily close human interactions that last longer than five minutes and the impact on COVID-19 cases.
At the beginning of August, people in Idaho were interacting with an average of 1.57 other people each day, TOP data said. That is just 60.1 percent of the normal or pre-COVID level of interactions people were engaging in (2.61) during the same time in 2019.
The Northeast Tri-County Health District in Washington state reported three new confirmed cases on Wednesday, two of which were in Stevens County and one of which was in Pend Oreille County. Pend Oreille County has 45 confirmed cases, while Stevens County has 111 confirmed cases and one fatality, according to NETCHD. Ferry County has 24 cases.
The Montana State Department of Public Health said 175 new confirmed cases turned up on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 5,268 cases and 80 deaths. There are 12 confirmed cases in Lincoln County and one case in Sanders County, the state said.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.