© 2023 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

One month into crisis standards of care, North Idaho hospitals still see record COVID-19 patients

A nurse dressed in PPE checks a monitor in a hospital room.
Intermountain Healthcare
/
Intermountain Healthcare

It’s been a month since North Idaho entered crisis standards of care ahead of the rest of the state and COVID-19 hospitalizations are still hitting new highs.

That day, Sept. 7, Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene was caring for 108 COVID patients, 39 of them needing critical care.

On Tuesday, about a month later, the total COVID census was a record-high 145; four of the patients were children. Forty-two patients needed critical care.

“We remained at very high daily average census numbers," Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said about statewide numbers during a media briefing Tuesday. "There was a record 759 COVID-19 patients, on average, in the hospital last week.”

Of COVID-19 cases recorded in Idaho since mid-May, 89.1% have been among unvaccinated people, according to IDHW. For hospitalizations in the past six month, 90.3% have been unvaccinated, and 88% of people who died due to COVID were not fully vaccinated.

A new data point on the state's data dashboard shows 14 pediatric patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 one day last week, the highest during the pandemic so far.

Other indicators — ICU admissions and ventilators in use — were down slightly, Jeppesen said. But it’s too early to know if this means a peak or a plateau.

Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Turner said numbers are looking better in the southern U.S. states where the Delta variant caused a surge earlier than in Idaho.

“If we follow sort of the same pattern over time, we could start seeing a decrease in cases in the next two to three weeks," she said.

But Turner said that’s a hope, not a prediction, based on Idaho's current data.

Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen 

Copyright 2021 Boise State Public Radio

As the south-central Idaho reporter, I cover the Magic and Wood River valleys. I also enjoy writing about issues related to health and the environment.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.