Kootenai Health hospital in Coeur d’Alene is at the epicenter of a coronavirus crisis for the northern part Idaho, where state officials this week authorized “crisis standards of care” status.
Public health officials are warning the health care rationing could soon spread statewide, forcing already traumatized doctors and nurses to make gut-wrenching decisions about who will get life-saving care. Newly confirmed coronavirus infection cases in Idaho are surging and the state is now averaging more than 950 new cases every day, according Johns Hopkins University — an increase of more than 41% over the past two weeks.
Idaho is also last among U.S. states with only about 45% of residents having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Just under 40% of residents are fully vaccinated, making Idaho 48th the nation compared to other states and Washington, D.C.
Peter Mundt, the spokesman for Gritman Medical Center in the Idaho city of Moscow said the institution is struggling to find hospital destinations to transfer patients with serious heart problems and other conditions unrelated to COVID-19. And in Lewiston, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is also operating “at the very edge of our capacity,” spokeswoman Sam Skinner said.
Idaho Health and Welfare director Dave Jeppesen stressed Tuesday that vaccines are the best way to reduce the demand on hospitals. CDC data shows that full vaccination with any of the currently available coronavirus vaccines dramatically reduces the risk of requiring hospitalization for a coronavirus infection. (AP)
