COVID-related hospitalizations in Idaho continue to reach record highs, with 760 patients hospitalized on Monday and more than 200 in the ICU. Additionally, more Idaho patients were ventilated this week than at any previous point in the pandemic, according to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare director Dave Jeppesen.

Dr. Jim Souza, chief physician executive at St. Luke’s Health System, said patients in the St. Luke’s ICU have a higher mortality rate than during the December surge, with 43 percent dying after being admitted.

Idaho has once again added more than 100 newly recorded deaths in the last week, including multiple people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The areas of the state with the highest seven-day rolling average case rates are north central, Magic Valley, and east central Idaho.

On Wednesday, Idaho Reports toured the Saint Alphonsus ICU in Boise, as well as the emergency department, trauma center, and Life Flight center. See our full coverage online and watch the episode at idahoptv.org/idahoreports.

This week, Keith Ridler of the Associated Press joined Logan Finney to discuss a central Idaho grazing lease that was purchased by a conservation group and approved by the Land Board this week.

But first, the COVID-19 surge continues to flood Idaho hospitals. Idaho Reports is airing a half-hour special Friday on the implications of crisis standards of care, with an inside look at how Saint Alphonsus Health System is accommodating the surge in COVID-19 patients as hospitals across the state are overwhelmed. “Idaho Reports: A Statewide Disaster” airs Friday night at 8 pm in both the Mountain and Pacific time zones on Idaho Public Television.

On Thursday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it had activated crisis standards of care statewide as hospitals in southwest and south central Idaho became overrun with COVID-19 patients, nearly all of whom are unvaccinated.

The crisis standards of care designation allows hospitals to operate with higher nurse-to-patient ratios and helps providers prioritize which patients receive limited resources, depending on how ill they are, and their chances of survival. It also means that some patients are being treated in makeshift patient care centers set up in classrooms or conference rooms.

Crisis standards have been in place for north Idaho since Sept. 6.

Idaho added more than 100 deaths to its statewide death toll in the last 3 days, though at least 30 of those occurred over the summer and are just now being added.

While ICU bed availability varies hour by hour, as patients are admitted, discharged, or die, at multiple times over the last week, there were fewer than 10 fully staffed ICU beds available in the entire state of Idaho.

We have more information on a special episode of the Idaho Reports Podcast, which you can find and subscribe to on all major podcast platforms.

On Thursday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it had activated crisis standards of care statewide as hospitals in southwest and south central Idaho became overrun with COVID-19 patients, nearly all of whom are unvaccinated. Crisis standards for north Idaho have been in place since Sept. 6.

The crisis standards of care designation allows hospitals to operate with higher nurse-to-patient ratios and helps providers prioritize which patients receive limited resources, depending on how ill they are, and their chances of survival. It also means that some patients are being treated in makeshift patient care centers set up in classrooms or conference rooms. This affects all patients seeking care, not just those infected with COVID.

While ICU bed availability varies hour by hour, as patients are admitted, discharged, or die, at multiple times over the last week, there were fewer than 10 fully staffed ICU beds available in the entire state of Idaho.

This week, Betsy Russell of the Idaho Press joins Melissa Davlin to discuss President Joe Biden's trip to Idaho where he visited the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. They discuss the roundtable discussion with officials at NIFC, issues of transparency and media access, and the politics surrounding the event.

In this live special, Idaho Reports brings you up to speed as crisis standards of care have been declared for hospitals in the panhandle and north central Idaho. We are joined by healthcare representatives from across the state to discuss the statewide hospital crisis caused by surging COVID-19 cases in unvaccinated patients, and what that means for all Idaho patients in need of care.

Ten hospitals in north central Idaho and the panhandle have been authorized to operate under crisis standards of care since Monday, when Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene asked the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for the designation after weeks of being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

The crisis standards of care designation allows hospitals to operate with higher nurse-to-patient ratios and helps providers determine the order in which patients get limited resources. It also means that some patients are being treated in makeshift patient care centers set up in classrooms or conference rooms.

On Thursday, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen told Idaho Reports that the rest of the state could see crisis standards of care very soon.

Doctors from hospitals around the state told Idaho Reports they continue to see a wave of COVID-19 patients, most of them unvaccinated, and it is affecting their ability to care for other patients.

If you missed our half-hour special, The Consequences of Crisis Care, you can catch it online at idahoptv.org/idahoreports.

This week, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News joins us to discuss how the spread of the Delta variant has shaped the beginning of the fall semester for K-12 students in Idaho.

But first, on Tuesday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it had declared crisis standards of care for north Idaho, as mostly unvaccinated patients have overwhelmed hospitals. The declaration affects ten hospitals from Grangeville to the Canadian border.

We’ll have more on Thursday, when Idaho Reports is airing a half-hour special on the consequences of crisis standards of care, airing at 8 pm in both the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones on Idaho Public Television. You can also catch it online after it airs at idahoptv.org/idahoreports.

Hospital officials continue to implore Idahoans to get vaccinated as healthcare facilities are overwhelmed with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Staffing is stretched thin in hospitals throughout the state, and in the last week, the state has recorded more than 50 COVID-19 deaths, including multiple patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Nearly every ICU patient in Idaho is unvaccinated. But vaccine uptake is slowly rising, and this week, Idaho surpassed 1.5 million administered doses of the vaccine. 49 percent of eligible Idahoans ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Currently, the highest seven-day rolling average case rates are in north central Idaho, southwest Idaho, and Magic Valley. The statewide test positivity rate has risen to 14.2 percent.

On Thursday, Idaho Reports is airing a second special on the statewide hospital crisis. The program will feature hospital representatives from around the state, and airs at 8 pm September 9th on Idaho Public Television.

This week, Logan Finney sat down with Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin to preview the redistricting process that kicks off this week to draw new legislative and congressional district maps for future elections.

But first, on Tuesday Gov. Brad Little announced the activation of up to 150 Idaho National Guard members to support health care facilities across the state, as hospitals are filled beyond capacity with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. You can find more details, and Little’s full speech, on the Idaho Reports blog.

On Thursday, September 9th, we’ll have a live special on “The Consequences of Crisis Care” with hospital representatives from around the state to update you on the COVID-19 surge, and the impacts it’s having on the delivery of healthcare services in every region of Idaho.

Idaho Reports and the Idaho Capital Sun will follow this week’s redistricting meetings in detail, and future meetings as they’re announced.