Gov. Brad Little announced Thursday that Idaho did not meet the metrics needed to move out of the final stage of the Idaho Rebounds plan. Idaho will stay in the final stage of the Idaho Rebounds plan for at least another two weeks.

Idaho did not meet the epidemiologic and healthcare criteria to advance past Stage 4:

• The number of reported cases from June 10-25 trended upward instead of downward.
• The percent of positive tests from June 8-21 trended upward instead of downward.
• The average percent positive for the prior 14-day period was greater than 5-percent at 5.12-percent.
• The number of healthcare workers reported with COVID-19 from June 10-23 trended upward, and the average number of healthcare workers reported having COVID-19 per day was greater than the standard of 2.

He also announced that the state’s COVID-19 response will transition to a more regional approach as the number of cases in some counties has increased significantly, but several others have had no reports of COVID-19 cases. The seven local public health districts across the state are continually evaluating the criteria at the local level and will announce any changes in moving forward.

What this all means is that it remains critical for everyone – especially those who are 18-29 years old — to follow the recommended guidelines and stay home if you’re sick, wear a face covering and keep six feet apart in public, and wash your hands frequently. It’s also a good idea to avoid large gatherings of people to help reduce your personal risk of getting COVID-19.

The ultimate goal is to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep us within the capacity of our healthcare system so people who do need hospital-level care can get it when they need it.

Idaho’s success depends on us all.

Continue reading “DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Stage 4 pause means it’s more important than ever to follow the guidelines” →

The pandemic is not over. As states began to reopen, we are seeing increasing activity in Utah and Oregon, and in Idaho, we have seen the number of cases in our state increase over the past few days.

Because there is no vaccine or proven therapeutic interventions at this time, we have to take other precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state. It is up to each of us to protect our friends, families, neighbors, and community. You have heard these recommendations before, but they are worth repeating because they are more important than ever:

• Keep at least six feet between you and others in public
• Wear face coverings in public places (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus, and do not know it, from transmitting it to others)
• Stay home if you are sick
• Wash your hands often
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Disinfect surfaces and objects regularly

Nationally, approximately 41 percent of cases are found in adults between the ages of 18 and 44. Several states are seeing a concerning recent trend with increasing cases among those under 40.

 In our own state, 49 percent of known cases are in Idahoans under the age of 40. Younger adults often feel invincible or have heard that having COVID-19 may not be a serious condition for them. It’s true that approximately 80 percent of cases are mild, but there are severe cases in all age ranges.

Continue reading “DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Please honor dads and granddads safely this weekend” →