The leaders of some of Idaho’s largest health care providers warned residents Wednesday that coronavirus cases again are again threatening to overwhelm hospitals and primary care clinics as cases climb statewide.
The top medical officials with Primary Health, St. Luke’s Health System and Saint Alphonsus Health System urged people to wear masks indoors and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in an online news conference with Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. Dr. David Peterman, a pediatrician and the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group, said the number of positive coronavirus tests his clinic is seeing is comparable to what they saw in January, when statewide numbers were surging.
The health experts said the increase is likely because the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has become the dominant strain in Idaho. The state’s deputy state epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Turner said the variant is at least twice as contagious as the original COVID-19 virus, with one person infected with the delta variant able to infect an average of five to nine other people.
St. Luke’s chief medical officer Dr. James Souza said the number of COVID patients admitted has doubled in the past two weeks. People need to get vaccinated, follow CDC guidelines and wear masks if they are indoors with people outside of their immediate family, Souza said. (AP)
