Little prepares the state for the coronavirus, says Idaho’s risk is very low

Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has surmounted to be a global boogeyman. Originating from Wuhan, China, at the turn of the new year, the virus has spread to almost every continent with reported cases in 37 countries.

According to the World Health Organization, there have been 88,948 confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus worldwide and a death toll of 3,043. In the United States, there have been 100 cases with 11 fatalities as of Wednesday, in Idaho’s surrounding states there are currently 38 cases in California, 30 in Washington, two in Oregon, and one in Utah according to The New York Times.

Idaho officials announced their response Wednesday.

“The individual risk for coronavirus in Idaho is still low,” said Governor Brad Little in a press conference. “However, [with] national and international situations rapidly involving, we do expect confirmed cases in Idaho at some point, but Idaho is prepared.”

In response to the outbreak, Little created a new workgroup to ensure the lines of communication are kept open across Idaho and to enhance the coordination efforts between state agencies to best serve the public. Members of this group include the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen, President and CEO of the Idaho Hospital Association Brian Whitlock, the Director of Public Health for the North Central District of Idaho Carol Moehrle, the Idaho Office of Emergency Management Director Brad Richy, retired CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer Dr. Carolyn Bridges, former Idaho St. Luke’s CEO Dr. David Pate, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra.

“Idaho’s public health officials have been working for months with the centers for disease control prevention and other states to prepare Idaho for the 2019 novel coronavirus,” said Little. “They are in regular communication with Idaho’s local health districts and health care providers around the state to make sure they know what to look for and to make sure they are prepared to respond if someone is sick or has been exposed.”

IDHW says as of March 4, the total number of Idahoans that have been under observation for the coronavirus is 35. Out of those 35 individuals, 27 are no longer being monitored, six people were tested, and zero have reported a confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho’s state epidemiologist, says the CDC has only sent one test kit for the coronavirus but more kits are on the way. One kit has the ability to test 300 people but new supplies Idaho labs will be able to test 500 potential patients by the end of the week.

“We have not tested a large number of people yet but that is ramping up very quickly,” said Hahn. “We can probably do about 15 per day right now we will ramp that up as the demand starts to go above that.”

This week the Governor’s unveiled his new coronavirus informational Twitter account (@IdahoCOVID19), and an online resource for Idahoans to access information about the coronavirus, coronavirus.idaho.gov/.

In the press conference, the Governor said he has directed his budget office to work with legislators to make funding available to aid in the response efforts if needed. When asked how much he expected to be set aside he said it would be millions.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said that IDHW has had state and local level plans in place for years in regards to managing public health situations such as the coronavirus. He said that Idaho’s plan was put into full effect on January 27th by the IDHW.

“The mission of the department is to promote the health and safety of all Idahos and that certainly applies to prepare for the coronavirus,” said Jeppesen. “Monitoring in Idaho of the coronavirus situation began in early January, [meaning] that the Department of Health and Welfare, public health districts and public providers in conjunction with our federal partners, the CDC, have been carefully and closely monitoring the situation for over two months now.”

Hahn said the coronavirus has a mortality rate of about 1.4%, ten times higher than the regular seasonal flu, but that figure is ever-changing. In comparison, the outbreaks of SARS and MERS were in the 30% to 50% range.

“Our public health goal in Idaho and across the nation is to slow this virus down, we probably can’t stop it, it’s too late to stop it,” said Hahn. “We know it will be up to a year or more before a vaccine is available, so the more we can slow this down the closer we’ll be to having a vaccine or treatment.”

The symptoms of the coronavirus can be somewhat misleading, especially now, in the flu and cold season. Officials are advising that citizens take precautionary measures like staying home if sick, avoiding those who are ill, covering their nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, washing hands with warm water and soap, refraining from touching their face, or in extreme cases, calling their medical provider.

“I encourage Idahoans to do their part to keep vulnerable populations safe from this disease by preventing the spread,” said Little. “Wash your hands, use etiquette by covering your cough and sneezes, and if you are sick stay home.”

Currently, there is no definitive knowledge of how the virus spreads; it is mainly perceived to be spread from person-to-person but the CDC website says is it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their face.

80% of people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 will have a mild illness, according to the IDHW. The most susceptible populations are those with pre-existing respiratory concerns, underlying health issues, and the elderly. The Governor and state agencies say that as of now everything is reassuring about the safety of Idaho’s kids.

“It is something to be aware that children can be impacted but at least don’t seem to be as severely impacted as adults,” said Hahn.

Earlier this week two schools in northern Idaho closed for precautionary cleaning. Concerns raised after the University of Idaho received information that a student who was supposed to participate in the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival tested positive for the coronavirus. While that student did not attend the festival, the schools were worried that other students could have possibly come into contact with the infected student.

Governor Little said schools have full authority to close their doors for precautionary measures.

State officials say there is no need to cancel any upcoming plans for vacation or events, such as school spring breaks this month and state sporting events, but citizens are free to do so at choice.

Madison Hardy is an intern with the University of Idaho McClure Center for Public Policy Research and the UI JAMM News Service.