COVID-19 forces Idaho hospitals past capacity, toward crisis

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Hospital facilities and public health agencies are scrambling to add capacity as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide.

But many Idaho residents don’t seem to feel the same urgency.

Volunteers are helping with contract tracing at the Central District Health Department, and health education classrooms are being converted into COVID-19 treatment units in northern Idaho.

St. Luke's Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Frank Johnson says ICU beds are scarce and St. Luke's hospitals could enact crisis level care by early next week if case projections are correct.

He says coronavirus hospitalizations have been doubling about every two weeks.

Take a look at this graphic just released by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

It shows COVID-19 hospitalization in the state from June of last year through August 21 of this year. 

The blue line is all COVID-19 patients being treated which is still below the peak we saw back in December.

But when it comes to those in the ICU and on a ventilator, both of those numbers are higher the the December peak.   

Health officials say these numbers are very concerning when it comes to hospital capacity.