Little: COVID trends promising

Despite positive news, Idaho stays in Stage 4

Gov. Brad Little praised the efforts of Idahoans in turning around the now-shrinking coronavirus metrics, but he declared Friday the state will remain in Stage 4 of his Idaho Rebounds plan.

“Idaho will remain in Stage 4 for another two weeks because the number of hospital admissions of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients is higher than we’d like across the state,” the governor said.

While Idaho hospitalizations peaked Aug. 3 with 242 patients, those numbers had declined to 167 on Saturday. But then the numbers climbed back up, reaching 205 this week.

However, Little said he’s pleased at other metrics that have marked improvement in the fight against COVID-19.

“We’re seeing downward trends in overall confirmed cases, test positivity rates and emergency department visits in patients with COVID-like illnesses,” he said. “We have sufficient ventilators, ICU beds and hospital (personal protective equipment) statewide, and the number of people admitted to hospitals is stabilizing.”

Little has kept the state in Stage 4 since June 13. Originally scheduled to lift June 19, the postponement means Idaho will stay in the final stage into at least early September, marking a total of 12 weeks. The state has failed to meet all the criteria to exit the final stage of his Idaho Rebounds plan and see a loosening of health protocols and restrictions in public.

Idaho’s test positivity rate in August has been substantially less than in the past. Of the more than 41,000 tests administered statewide over the past two weeks, 10.2 percent have tested positive. This is down dramatically from the first two weeks of July, when the positive test rate hovered around 15 percent.

While the number of Idaho’s total cases is staggering in comparison to when Little first issued his stay-home order — 150 on March 25, compared to 29,120 on Thursday — COVID-19-related emergency room visits have plummeted. Tuesday’s seven emergency room visits statewide tie for Idaho’s second-lowest single-day mark since the pandemic began.

Thursday’s 424 new cases statewide are part of a longer trend of declining new cases. Two weeks prior, that number was 481; since then, the number of new cases has declined with relative consistency.

Little made the announcement at the Idaho Foodbank in Boise, where he said the state just approved $2.5 million in food bank relief.

“Many Idahoans have experienced job loss or loss of income since the spring,” he said, “making it harder to afford the most basic of human needs: food. As a result, more and more Idaho families are turning to their local food banks and local food assistance programs during the coronavirus.”

Idaho Foodbank officials say they saw a 10 percent to 50 percent increase in food demand when the pandemic reached the state in March and the economy started shutting down.

“We are experiencing increased food insecurity in our state,” Idaho Foodbank President and CEO Karen Vauk said.

Little also said that $10 million of relief money would go to long-term care facilities to keep residents safe during the pandemic.

Little said the state currently has sufficient ICU beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment. He also said the number of people being admitted to hospitals is stabilizing, and that positivity test rates are falling.

The governor got good news earlier in the day when the state Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate had dropped to 5 percent in July under his reopening plan.

However, Johns Hopkins University through Thursday reports that Idaho had more than 29,000 coronavirus infections and 297 deaths.

“Generally, we knew when we opened up the economy that we were going to have an increase (in virus infections),” Little said. “We were hopeful that it was going to be at a lot lower level. We like the (downward) trend, but it’s just not fast enough.”

Little issued a stay-at-home order in late March that ended April 30. The state then successfully advanced at two-week intervals through the first three of Little’s four-stage reopening plan. But the state remains stalled in Stage 4 that was initially set to expire on June 27. It allows gatherings of more than 50 people as long as precautions are taken.

Little in late June also moved Idaho to a regional response system allowing local entities to decide on additional restrictions. Little, for example, has not issued a statewide face covering mandate. But eight counties and 10 cities have, according to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

Some local governments have been criticized by those who think the pandemic is a hoax and are against mask mandates.

“I support mayors and public health officials in their decisions to mitigate spread at the local level,” said Little, who wears a face covering in public.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported that the positivity rate for people being tested for COVID-19 was 9.2 percent for the week of Aug. 9 to 15. That number needs to be below 5 percent before the state can move out of Stage 4.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested. Studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Associated Press reporter Keith Riddler contributed to this report.