▶️ Listen to this article now.

The Panhandle Health District announced Friday a backlog of COVID-19 cases for July and August has created “two significant issues.”

“First, when our team is swamped with cases, we are unable to contact everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” said Don Duffy, PHD interim director. “Second, we only report the number of cases processed that day, so the public doesn’t see the actual situation.”

He said that on Aug. 20, PHD reported 36 cases, but in reality, it had over 900 cases left to process.

In response, PHD has temporarily mobilized PHD staff away from their current responsibilities to try and quickly eliminate the backlog.

PHD blamed the backlog on the recent surge in cases, a tight labor market and demobilization of the National Guard.

It has several positions open to hire additional staff to help with the COVID-19 efforts.

“It is important for us to be transparent with our community as we know that schools, businesses, and individuals make important decisions based on the information we provide,” Duffy said.

PHD reported 366 new coronavirus cases in a four-day stretch from Tuesday through Friday, and now has 28,671 total cases, with 358 total deaths. Of those, six were people under the age of 50, and 302 were people over the age of 70. The last coronavirus-related deaths reported on its website were two, on Aug. 20.

Kootenai Health had 94 COVID-19 patients on Friday, with 34 requiring critical care. On Wednesday, it announced it was turning a resource center into a 22-bed patient care center to be ready for an expected increase in COVID-19 patients.

As part of that effort, Kootenai Health said separate rooms in the Health Resource Center have been converted to provide monoclonal antibody therapy to COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized. 

Dr. Karen Cabell said Kootenai Health has served as a monoclonal antibody treatment site since November 2020 and is the only location in the Inland Northwest to offer the service.

“Kootenai Health paused the clinic in early August when we needed the space and staff to care for the influx of COVID-19 patients,” she said in a prepared statement. “The clinic is operational again, as part of the on-campus field hospital dedicated to the COVID-19 patient surge.”

Cabell said monoclonal antibody treatment is a way of treating COVID-19 infections for patients who are not sick enough to require hospitalization, but are at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

The goal of the therapy is to help prevent hospitalizations, reduce viral loads and lessen symptom severity.

Heath officials continue to urge people to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors and when in crowded places outdoors. They said the vaccine is safe and effective, with minimal side effects.

In Kootenai County, 64,077 residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is 45% of the population in that age group. In Bonner County, 16,810 residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine — about 42.58% of the population in that age group. In Boundary County, 3,689 residents 12 and older have received at least one vaccine dose — about 35.77% of that age group.

In the PHD, 83, 133 residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated, 39% of the population. Of the state’s seven health districts, PHD and the Southwest District are tied for the lowest fully-vaccinated rate.