Amid surge in COVID-19 cases, Idaho Governor calls in help

Idaho Governor Brad Little is seeking for as many as 220 medical workers available through federal programs and mobilizing 150 Idaho National Guard soldiers to deal with a surge in COVID-19 patients overwhelming the state’s hospitals.

The Associated Press reported that the Republican governor 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.

It is reportedly said that about 1,000 new confirmed cases per day were registered last week, mostly unvaccinated. Little also said that only four intensive care unit beds were available in the entire state on Tuesday.

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The workers include as many as 20-person US Department of Defense medical response teams deployed to northern Idaho, where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the state.

The governor described his visit to a nearly-full Boise ICU on Monday evening, the same day Idaho hit a record high of COVID-19 patients in intensive care across the state.

KTVB reported Little and said, “Some were young, two were middle-aged, two patients were pregnant. I was told the average age of the patients was 43,” he recounted. “All of them were struggling to breathe, and most were only breathing with the help of a machine.”

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“Every one of the coronavirus patients in that unit was unvaccinated,” KTVB reported Little as saying. Fewer than half of eligible Idahoans – those 12 and older – are fully vaccinated against the virus.

“I wish everyone could see what I saw in the ICU last night,” Little said. “Please choose to receive the vaccine now to support your fellow Idahoans who need you.”

The governor stopped short of mandating masks or vaccines, ordering any closures, or banning large gatherings. 

It is reportedly said that the state will allocate more money to hospitals to help them attract and retain medical staff, as well as waive licensing fees for retired or inactive nurses and doctors, and clear the path for healthcare students nearing graduation to get to work immediately.