Three virus deaths reported in SE Washington

Three more COVID-19 deaths were reported in southeastern Washington on Friday as the number of new cases in both Idaho and Washington continues to be worrisome to regional public health officials.

Whitman County Public Health Director Troy Henderson said two residents of long-term care centers who were both older than 80 died from the viral illness Friday, and Brady Woodbury, Asotin County public health director, said a woman older than 80 who lived at Prestige Care and Rehabilitation in Clarkston died of the illness Thursday.

Public health officials announced 101 new cases Friday, including 32 in Nez Perce County, 24 in Latah County, 18 in Whitman County, 15 in Idaho County, eight in Asotin County and two each in Clearwater and Lewis counties.

The Lewiston School District informed parents that one student each at McSorely and Whitman elementary schools, two students at Lewiston High School and a staff member at Jenifer Middle School were diagnosed with COVID-19.

Mike Larson, a nurse with Public Health – Idaho North Central District, said the long-predicted uptick in the virus has arrived.

“We have had over 2,000 cases (since the pandemic began) and I believe our one-thousandth case was around the 23rd of September. When you think about that, that kind of tells you where we are in our region and we are definitely on the upswing,” he said. “Everybody predicted that in the fall it may come back and be a little more present, and that is what we are seeing.”

Woodbury noted Asotin County has seen 80 of its 227 total cases in the past two weeks.

Henderson said the number of new cases daily as well as outbreaks at places like university dorms, sororities and fraternities, public schools, and nursing homes illustrate the need for people to wear masks and practice appropriate social distancing.

“Masks are an easy and effective way to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

Testing for COVID-19 continues to largely rely on a doctor’s order in much of the region, although some commercial opportunities are available. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare lists testing locations online at get-tested-covid19.org/.

Larson said anybody with symptoms of the illness should be able to get tested either on recommendation from their health care provider or following a screening by a physician at a testing center. Symptoms range from the much-publicized fever and cough to a wide range of ailments appearing either individually or in combination.

“It’s so varied it’s really difficult. Almost anything can be a symptom of COVID,” he said.

He said people who believe they have the illness should contact their health care provider or a medical clinic. Often, they can be approved for a test without having to visit a doctor’s office.

At home, test kits are available from Albertsons and Safeway pharmacies and from Costco.com for a fee that may not be reimbursed by insurance. The tests require takers to mail a saliva sample to a lab and it can take two to four days from the time the lab gets the sample for results to be available. Tests from Albertsons and Safeway companies can be ordered at scheduletest.com/.

Larson said while testing can be an important tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19, it only goes so far.

“One of the things I encourage people to think about, even if they have a negative test on a specimen collected today, it doesn’t mean they couldn’t be developing a case and that same test could be positive the next day or any day after.”

Nez Perce County’s new cases on Friday included one girl and three boys between 5 and 12, one boy between 13 and 17, four women and five men between 18 and 29, two women and four men in their 30s, three women and two men in their 40s, three women and one man in their 50s, one woman in her 60s, and one woman in her 70s.

The new cases in Latah County involve three boys between 13 and 17, four women and eight men between 18 and 29, three women and one man in their 30s, one man and one woman in their 40s, one woman in her 50s, one man in his 60s, and one man in his 70s.

Idaho County’s cases include one girl between 5 and 12, one girl between 13 and 17, two women and four men in their 30s, one woman and one man in their 50s, three women in their 60s, one man in his 70s, and one woman in her 80s.

Lewis County’s cases were one woman between 18 and 29 and one woman in her 60s.

Clearwater County had one woman and one man in their 30s test postitive.

Whitman County’s total included one female and four males 19 or younger, three women and three men between 20 and 39, one woman and one man between 40 and 59, four women between 60 and 79, and one woman over the age of 80.

Demographics were not available to the new cases in Asotin County.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.