He reported 17 new confirmed or probable cases Thursday in Latah County. The latest cases include one person under 5, one aged 5 to 12, seven people aged 18 to 29, four in their thirties, two in their fifties and two in their sixties.

There have been 3,645 confirmed cases, 230 probable cases and 21 total deaths in Latah County since the start of the pandemic.

The Gritman Medical Center said in a press release Thursday that it continued to “face significant pressure on staff, resources and patient transfers.” His COVID-19 unit continues to be at or near full capacity for several weeks.

The hospital admitted 11 new patients over the past week who tested positive for COVID-19. Its QuickCARE location, COVID-19 drive-thru test site and emergency service continue to experience unusually high demand.

The hospital also announced that it will reinstate its mobile breathing unit from the emergency department in the coming days. The MRU will be placed just outside the entrance to the hospital’s emergency department to relieve pressure on ward staff.

Gritman does not operate to crisis care standards the way hospitals statewide do.

Crisis Care Standards are guidelines that aim to help healthcare providers decide how to provide the best possible care in the extraordinary circumstances of a disaster or public health emergency. Crisis Standards of Care guidelines are used when resources are insufficient to provide the usual standard of care to those in need.

Idaho’s public health officials announced on Thursday that crisis care standards were extended to hospitals statewide.

Gritman says he operates to contingent standards of care and will change status depending on the situation.

“Our hospital and clinics are open and safe for care – please do not postpone the care you need,” hospital officials wrote in the press release on Thursday.

Gar-Pal high school moves online

Garfield-Palouse High School announced this week that it will switch to online learning only starting Monday and ending October 4 due to a COVID-19 outbreak among students.

“This week we have seen a number of students staying home, quarantined or sick due to symptoms and testing of COVID-19,” the school district wrote in a letter to parents. “The exhibit appears to have resulted from activities outside of school, based on contact tracing and the Department of Health.”

It appears that the outbreak has primarily affected high school, but officials continue to monitor elementary and middle schools according to recommendations from Whitman County Public Health.

“We will continually reassess the situation at all levels as we consider reverting to in-person learning, resuming activities or extending our in-person learning break,” the letter said.

Palouse Superintendent Mike Jones did not say how many students tested positive on Thursday, but he said more than 40% of students were absent from school this week due to COVID-19 and other reasons. An unknown number of teachers were also out of the building this week, according to Jones.

He did not link the outbreak to any particular event, but did mention that a number of activities took place in Whitman County, including a recent football game at State University of Washington and the Palouse Empire Fair last week.

Whitman County Public Health on Thursday reported 29 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two more hospitalizations related to the virus. No new deaths have been reported.

There have been 5,179 total cases, 55 deaths and 162 hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic in Whitman County.