County’s first COVID-19 death reported
BONNERS FERRY — Panhandle Health District is reporting the first death related to COVID-19 in the community.
The Boundary County resident, who was in his 70s, had been hospitalized due to complications with COVID-19. Out of respect to the individual and his family,PHD officials said they would not be releasing any additional details.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time,” said Lora Whalen, PHD director.
The man’s death marks 40th fatality related to COVID-19 in North Idaho. Twenty-seven of the deaths have occurred among Kootenai County residents, one death has occurred in a Benewah County resident and 11 of the deaths have occurred among Shoshone County residents. The only county without a death connected to COVID-19 is Bonner County.
PHD urges all residents to take precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes, practicing physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings in public places, practicing good hand hygiene, staying home when sick, sanitizing high-touch surfaces regularly and isolating immediately if you show symptoms of COVID-19.
PHD will continue to monitor the situation closely and are working with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, city leaders, our tribal communities, schools, emergency management, first responders, healthcare providers, and our community at large to help prevent the further spread of this virus. The Panhandle area covers the 5 northern counties, Kootenai, Bonner, Benewah, Boundary, and Shoshone.
The health district said there are 2,667 cases in the five northern counties, 2,104 of which are confirmed through laboratory analysis.
Boundary County also added a new cases of COVID-19 bring the county’s total to 43 cases over the course of the pandemic. The district said all of the cases are lab-confirmed and six remain active.
Bonner County saw 2 new cases on Wednesday for a total of 212 cases since the start of the pandemic. The district said 206 of that county’s cases are lab-confirmed and 17 cases are active.
Kootenai County reported 14 new infections on Wednesday, bringing that county’s total to 2,119 cases, 2,104 of which are lab confirmed. The district said 255 of the cases remain active.
The virus, which causes COVID-19, is blamed for 29 deaths in Kootenai County, 12 deaths in Shoshone County and one death in Benewah County in addition to the death in Boundary County.
Shoshone County tallied no new infections on Wednesday and the district said all but one of its 191 cases are lab-confirmed. Seventy-six cases remain active, according to PHD.
Benewah County added one new case on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 102 cases, all of which are lab-confirmed. The district said 27 cases in Benewah County remain active.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare said there were 405 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, lifting the statewide total to 30,475 cases and 326 fatalities.
The Northeast Tri-County Health District in Washington state reported one new case in Pend Oreille County, bringing that county’s total to 54 since the outbreak began. The district said Stevens County has accumulated 121 cases and one death. Ferry County has seen 24 cases since the pandemic began.
The Montana State Department of Public Health reported 136 new confirmed cases, elevating the statewide total to 6,624 cases and 97 deaths. Lincoln County has had 83 cases, two of which are new and 11 of which are active. Sanders County had no new cases on Tuesday and has had 31 cases, 15 of which are active.
According to the CDC, people with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported — ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with COVID-19 have reported a fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. his list does not include all possible symptoms.
For more information regarding COVID-19, visit panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19 or call the Panhandle Health District hotline, Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at 877-415-5225.