Doctors Roundtable

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the country's first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in a California patient. So what does that mean for Idaho? Idaho Matters talks with two local medical experts to answer your COVID-19 questions.

The state Department of Health and Welfare announced the first death of an Idaho child due to COVID-19. Idaho Matters talks with two doctors about the news of the infant's death, which comes after kids aged 5-11 are able to get the vaccine.

After federal regulators approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11, Idaho prepares to begin administering shots to this age group. Meanwhile, the state's hospitals remain in crisis standards of care as case rates show some encouraging signs.

A smaller dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine cleared its first regulatory hurdle Tuesday for use in children ages 5 to 11-years-old, after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted to recommend it for emergency use authorization.So what will this mean for getting covid under control and to a manageable level?

Idaho’s COVID-19 test positivity rate and hospitalization rate have been declining over the last few weeks, making some health officials more confident that we might be past the peak of the COVID-19 delta surge. But they say it's still too early to tell.

As of Tuesday, 53.3% of Idaho’s eligible population is vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s lower than the nationwide average of 66%. In a news briefing yesterday, Dr. Steven Nemerson, Chief Clinical Officer at Saint Alphonsus Health System, said, "today i’m here to tell you that we’ve lost the war."

Unvaccinated Idahoans continue to be hospitalized at five and a half times the rate of vaccinated people, straining the hospital systems and overwhelming health care workers. Yet, misinformation and anger continues to spread throughout the state — with hateful acts targeted at the doctors and nurses working to treat those infected.

Hospitals in Idaho are bursting at the seams amid our state’s COVID-19 surge — and state officials are predicting the situation could get much worse.

COVID-19 case numbers and deaths continue to climb, putting Idaho among the worst in the nation for the rate of new diagnoses. Idaho Matters is joined by two medical experts to unpack the current state of the coronavirus crisis.

Tuesday, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said the COVID-19 picture has only gotten worse since north Idaho entered crisis standards of care last week — and the crisis designation is "imminent" for most of southern Idaho.