PHD confirms five new COVID-19 cases in region
KEITH KINNAIRD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
SANDPOINT — Five new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus were tallied on Thursday, according to the Panhandle Health District.
There are 120 cases, with 94 cases in Kootenai County and seven cases in Bonner County. Benewah County has 10 cases and the health district said nine cases involve infected persons whose primary county of residence is undetermined.
The virus, which causes COVID-19, has not been detected in Boundary or Shoshone counties, the health district said.
The health district acknowledged that the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is reporting that there are 26 cases associated with the reservation.
“That does not mean all of those cases primarily reside in Benewah County. We report cases by their primary county of residence and the tribe’s numbers are included in our case count,” the health district said in a post to its Facebook page.
The health district added that it was grateful for the partnership with the tribe during the pandemic.
The health district said there are 26 active cases in Bonner, Kootenai and Benewah counties. Ninety-four people are no longer being monitored by health officials, the district said.
“We continue to ask the public to practice physical distancing, wear masks while out in public especially when physical distancing is difficult, wash your hands often, stay home if you are sick, and sanitize high-touch surfaces regularly,” the district said in its social media post.
The Northeast Tri-County Health District in Washington state said on Thursday there are 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus within its jurisdiction. There are 15 cases in Stevens County, while Pend Oreille and Ferry counties have three cases and one case, respectively.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare’s coronavirus page was unavailable on Thursday afternoon.
The department announced last week that information regarding long-term care facilities with COVID-19 cases and deaths will now be published weekly at coronavirus.idaho.gov/ltc/.
The data will be provided in aggregated numbers of cases and deaths associated with long-term care facilities and will be updated weekly; this process will provide timely updates while serving to protect personal health information.
“We have re-examined the data, which unfortunately includes an increasing number of cases now, and have developed a process to release the numbers for specific facilities without revealing a diagnosis of COVID-19 or the cause of death for any individual resident,” said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Division of Public Health. “It’s a delicate balance to protect the privacy of Idahoans while also being as transparent as possible.”
The state of Montana recorded three new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, lifting the statewide total to 563 cases. There are seven cases in Lincoln County and none in Sanders County, according to the state department of public health.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.
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