For those listening to Panhandle Health District, their stream went down. Their PIO said they're trying to get the county to fix it. #idpol #idahocovid19
Watching the KHQ feed, which is nice, but doesn't fulfill the open meeting obligations. I believe they are stopping the meeting right now to try to fix the Internet issues, though!
Kudos to the Panhandle Health District for shutting down the meeting to address the Internet connectivity issues.
They're back in session now. Currently, a man wearing a VAXXED shirt is giving false information about mask safety.
They're back in session now. Currently, a man wearing a VAXXED shirt is giving false information about mask safety.
"The media has lied to us for a long time. We all know it."
Well, if you don't believe me, you can watch a medical professional discuss masks and oxygen on last week's @IdahoReports! idahoptv.org/idahoreports
Well, if you don't believe me, you can watch a medical professional discuss masks and oxygen on last week's @IdahoReports! idahoptv.org/idahoreports
The chairman shut down testimony, upsetting some of the people who have been waiting. At least one woman was escorted out after she approached the board chairman at the front of the room, and there's shouting from the hallway. #idahocovid19
Woah, Kootenai CEO Jon Ness just told the Panhandle Health Board that the Kootenai hospital has now had four deaths. This is new -- was one as of yesterday. #idahocovid19
The number of hospitalized patients in Kootenai has gone up from 3 on July 6 to 26 this morning.
There's a chance some of those decedents were out-of-area residents. But it seems like that was news to the board, too. Ness declined to give more information.
Total hospitalizations in Kootenai throughout pandemic: 65. 13 of those have required critical care. (That 26 number from an earlier tweet are those who are currently admitted.)
Ness is now talking about Eastern Idaho's management plan! (I tweeted about this the other day -- it's clear and easy to follow, and it makes things predictable. Very different than just about every other health board right now.)
If they applied those metrics to north Idaho, Kootenai would be in the moderate category, heading to the high risk category, Ness said.
Board member Glen Bailey is spreading more misinformation about masks. Again, medical professionals and infectious disease experts have addressed how masks can stop the wearer from spreading the virus to others.
He also says the death rate isn't going up. But if the number of cases is going up, that means the raw number of deaths also goes up, so... you're going to see more deaths.
Board member Allen Banks is also spreading misinformation about masks.
He is accusing Idaho public health officials of relying on false positives (there is absolutely no proof of this, and Kootenai Health has said these claims are not true) and says Idaho has more positives because we're testing more (which is also not true).
Dr. Steven Cook, Superintendent of the Cd'A School District, wrote a letter to the public health board asking them to consider a temporary mask mandate. Said with rising cases in the area, the district may have to start with online-only for everyone. #idedu #IdahoCOVID19
Board member Jai Nelson is refuting some of the claims from her fellow board members that this is just like the flu, showing rates of hospitalization and death for influenza vs covid-19, plus projections with and without masks.
Nelson is an RN in Kootenai County. She's now discussing a study on mask efficacy in preventing virus spread through aerosol droplets.
Nelson ended her remarks by pleading with her fellow board members, calling them out by their first names (the ones who didn't spread misinformation) and asking them to "to do the right thing."
Allen Banks is speaking again. He coughed and said "must be corona." He then said "in my opinion" death numbers are inflated. He cites one example in Florida that was caught. There is no evidence this type of error is widespread.
Also, I keep hearing this claim about goats and fruit testing positive. That claim originated in Tanzania months ago (which has major coronavirus transparency issues) and there is no evidence this has happened anywhere else.
People are believing social media claims that originate out of Dar Es Salaam, and not their own local health authorities, and it's surreal!
Panhandle Health District board just voted 4-2 to mandate masks in Kootenai County. The room has erupted in protest. #idahocovid19
The board went into recess and livestream went dark as all the shouting started getting louder. So I will just assume and hope it's going well?
