Gov. Little calls in help amid surge in COVID-19 patients

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho Gov. Brad Little is calling in 220 medical workers available through federal programs and mobilizing 150 Idaho National Guard soldiers to deal with a surge in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients who are overwhelming the state's hospitals.

You can watch the announcement below.

Governor Little said the moves are a last-ditch effort to avoid activating for the first time statewide crisis standards of care that could force medical professionals to decide who lives and who dies.

"We are dangerously close to activating statewide crisis standards of care, a historic step that means Idahoans in need of healthcare could receive a lesser standard of care or may be turned away altogether," Little said.

The last week has seen about 1,000 newly confirmed cases per day, most of them unvaccinated.

"Idaho hospitals are beyond constrained. Our healthcare system is designed to deal with the everyday realities of life. Our healthcare system is not designed to withstand the prolonged strain cause by an unrestrained global pandemic," he said. "It's simply not sustainable."

Little says only four intensive care unit beds were available in the entire state on Tuesday.

Nearly all Idaho hospitals are overwhelmed with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. There are more Idahoans in Intensive Care Units (ICU) with COVID-19 than ever before. The vast majority of them are unvaccinated.

“I hope it will be enough for us to avoid statewide crisis standards of care, but we are teetering on the brink and there is only one real solution – we need more Idahoans to choose to receive the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine now,” Governor Little said.