The state identified its first case of the novel coronavirus back in mid-March. Fortunately, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n
BOISE, Idaho 2020 has been an unforgettable year. From March on, millions of Americans have adjusted to telecommuting, mask-wearing, social distancing, and other practices that have become second nature for many people over the last 10 months.<\/p>\n
A year ago, the coronavirus had only been identified in China, and people across the country were ringing in the New Year with large groups, and no masks to be seen.<\/p>\n
By January, health experts in Idaho knew the coronavirus would likely come to the Gem State after cases started appearing in the neighboring state of Washington.<\/p>\n
It was only a matter of identifying that first case which came on March 13.<\/p>\n
I wasn't terribly surprised; I knew it was a matter of time, said Dr. David Pate, retired St. Lukes CEO and member of Idaho Gov. Brad Little's coronavirus working group.<\/p>\n
Health experts were worried about how bad it was going to get, especially when community spread was identified in Ada County.<\/p>\n
In response, Gov. Little issued a stay-at-home order that lasted through the end of April.<\/p>\n
Its unarguable that it worked, Dr. Pate said. At the peak, we had about 222 cases that were recorded in one day, and then after he put in the stay-at-home order, the cases did fall.<\/p>\n
It wasn't until May when the economy started to re-open amid low case rates. The state was seeing around 20 to 40 new cases every day.<\/p>\n
Since that time, practically all businesses in the Gem State are open for business. Many are taking precautions to stay open to this day.<\/p>\n
Idaho then saw a large spike of cases in July following Independence Day. That concerned public health experts, but not to the extent the spike in the fall did.<\/p>\n
Hospitals started to get dangerously full and the state was getting close to initiating crisis standards of care.<\/p>\n
I was starting to get terrified,\" Pate said. If this happens, this means we may not be able to take care of someone with a stroke or heart attack or a car accident.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, crisis standards of care were never activated and over the last few weeks, case rates have been declining along with hospitalizations.<\/p>\n
Now the focus is on distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to enough Americans to get the chance of getting back what life was at the very beginning of the year with crowds and no masks.<\/p>\n
If sufficient numbers of people get vaccinated then yes, we can get back to that and it could be by next fall, Pate said.<\/p>\n
Until enough people are vaccinated though, while the year will change, the recommended precautions will not.<\/p>\n
I don't think things let up until March or April probably, Pate said. I hope this is the light at the end of the tunnel and we can say, okay, we can sacrifice that long, if its just a few months. We can do that.<\/p>\n
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare released a timeline this week that is an estimate of when people could get vaccinated. According to the timeline, the general public will likely be eligible to get their vaccinations by May.<\/p>\n
See our latest updates in our YouTube playlist:<\/p>\n
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COVID-19 in Idaho: How it started and where it's going in 2021 - KTVB.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The state identified its first case of the novel coronavirus back in mid-March. Continue reading