First COVID-19 case confirmed in Clark County resident, cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 increasing throughout region

CLARK COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Eastern Idaho Public Health (EIPH) is confirming the first case of COVID19 in a Clark County resident.

The case is a male in his 50s and acquired the virus via community transmission.

Community transmission means the spread of illness for which the source of the infection is unknown and cannot be connected to close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. If during our epidemiological case investigation individuals are identified as case contacts, they will be notified by public health and given guidance on the next steps.

Clark County is the last of EIPH's eight counties to have a COVID-19 case reported in their county.

EIPH has seen a continual increase in COVID-19 cases over the month of July.

As of Tuesday, there are 198 active cases of COVID-19 in our 8-county region compared to 42 active cases on July 1, a 400+% increase.

An active case is one that is currently being monitored by EIPH during their infectious period. Once a case is released from monitoring, they are no longer considered an active case and are free to end their isolation and resume their normal daily activities. The number of active cases is a significant number as that is one of the metrics that is used in our COVID-19 Regional Response Plan to determine which mitigation strategies to implement to help slow the spread of the virus in our communities.

As with increased cases of COVID-19, EIPH hs also seen an increase in the number of people being hospitalized due to COVID-19. On July 1, three individuals were hospitalized due to COVID-19.

As of Tueday, that number has increased to 14, a 400+% increase, as well. To note, the number of people in the hospital for COVID-19 only reflects the hospitalization of residents of our 8-county region and does not account for people that reside out of our health district.

EIPH's goal is to get the kids back to school, keep businesses open, maintain the highest level of care at our hospitals, and protect public
health. This can be achieved by doing the following:

• Maintaining physical distance (at least 6 feet) between people not of the same household
• Wearing a face covering in public when you are unable to maintain 6 feet of distance between yourself of others not of the same household
• Washing your hands frequently with soap and water or using hand sanitizer
• Staying home when you are sick
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Limiting attendance at large gatherings when physical distancing is not possible.