Idaho is moving to a modified Stage Two of Idaho Rebounds, Gov. Brad Little announced during a press conference today. Little is also signing an executive order today to mobilize the Idaho National Guard as part of the state’s COVID-19 response.
The protocols for this modified Stage Two are now on the Idaho Rebounds website. The national guard missions will vary but will mostly focus on assisting healthcare professionals by disinfecting spaces, contact tracing and administering tests so healthcare professionals can focus on medical care.
In this stage, businesses can remain open if they follow the appropriate protocols. Gatherings of more than 10 people, in public or in private, without appropriate social distancing and other precautions, are prohibited. Telework is encouraged when possible and vulnerable employees should continue to self-quarantine.
During the press conference, Little defended his position that wearing masks is a matter of personal responsibility. Transmission happens most in casual social settings, not in public, Little said. This makes enforcing mask mandates a challenge.
“Even in other places where there are mandates, the lesson needs to be we need these masks worn all the time, not out where they might be seen by a law enforcement official,” Little said.
Rachel Thain, a respiratory therapist at St. Luke’s, said not wearing a mask is a sign of disrespect at this point. If hospitals are full of COVID-19 patients, they do not have the capacity to take care of people with other ailments which require stays in the Intensive Care Unit. Elective surgeries have been paused until after Christmas to preserve healthcare capacity.
Thain said she’s heard suggestions of setting up tents with ventilators to extend ICU bed capacity. The problem isn’t just space, though, it puts strain on the healthcare workers who need to care for these patients.
“These sick (COVID-19) patients are not plug them in, set them and forget them,” Thain said. “They require acute critical care. They require titrations of medication. They require tweaks on the life support machine. I can’t put somebody in a tent and forget about them.”
Dr. Christine Hahn, the state epidemiologist, shared Oct. 27 to Nov. 9 COVID-19 metrics for the state and updates on vaccines and medication.
According to Hahn, Idaho does not meet epidemiologic criteria because there’s been an upward trend in COVID-19 cases, more than 20 cases per day on average, an upward trend in positive PCR test results and greater than 5% average test positivity.
Idaho does not meet healthcare criteria because there have been more than eight hospital admissions of people suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 and more than 25 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the ICU per day on average. There were, however, at least 50 ventilators and ICU beds available, at least a 10-day supply of personal protective equipment and all patients being treated without crisis standards of care.
On Monday, Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended Idaho accept early distribution of the vaccine. Hahn said healthcare workers will likely receive the vaccine first, but distribution will not begin until after the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorize it. The vaccine won’t be available for a while yet, Hahn said.
A new treatment has been authorized by the FDA, Hahn said. Bamlanivimab is a treatment given through IV which is effective in treating those with mild cases of COVID-19 who aren’t in the hospital. The medication is being shipped to hospitals which have requested it, Hahn said.
“But (the vaccine and therapy are) not enough to stem the tide of the rising infections,” Hahn said. “And I join everyone else who spoke today in urging you to please help others, wear a mask, stay apart from others, try to avoid large gatherings. We need everybody to do their part because we are seeing a rising number of cases, a rising number of hospitalizations and these therapies, while very promising, are not going to save us now from the rise in cases.”
The full press conference is available on Idaho Public Television’s Facebook page. Up-to-date information on the stages of reopening can be found on the Idaho Rebounds website. Updates on COVID-19 cases in Latah County can be found on The Argonaut’s case count page, the Idaho Coronavirus website and Public Health – Idaho North Central District’s website.
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]