COVID-19 Update: October 8, 2021

The month of September marked a grim milestone with more coronavirus deaths in one month than any other month in the pandemic. The state of Idaho has now reported more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths statewide. In north-central Idaho, hospitals are reaching a breaking point. In Moscow, Gritman Medical Center’s COVID-19 patient care unit is at capacity, with the largest number of people with COVID-19 being admitted for inpatient treatment, the hospital announced Thursday. On Wednesday, Kootenai Health was reporting 150 COVID-19 patients hospitalized with 43 in critical care and 2 pediatric COVID patients. No Idaho child has died of causes related to COVID-19 as of Thursday, but there have been children with serious illness due to the virus. Case positivity rates have dropped modestly, down to 14.6 percent, but that’s still well above the goal of keeping the rate below 5 percent. State health officials continue to stress that the best way to prevent hospitalization due to COVID is to be vaccinated. Visit the Idaho Reports blog at idahoptv.org/idahoreports to see our latest update on the costs of transfers to other states for medical care amid a hospital bed shortage.