COVID-19 forces Idaho hospitals past capacity, toward crisis

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

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.