First COVID-19 death confirmed in Jefferson County
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The following is a news release from the Eastern Idaho Public Health District.
RIGBY – Eastern Idaho Public Health and Madison Memorial Hospital have confirmed the death of a female in her 80s from Jefferson County due to COVID-19.
The patient was admitted to Madison Memorial Hospital last week and passed away several days later on Friday, July 17. The patient had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to being admitted to the hospital. Out of respect to her family, no additional details will be released.
“Our entire staff at Madison Memorial share our deepest condolences with the patient’s family and friends for their loss — and a loss felt by our entire community. This is a serious disease and the preventative actions of the hospitals in our region reflect this,” says Dr. Rachel Gonzales, Chief Executive Officer at Madison Memorial.
“With cases of COVID-19 increasing exponentially, it is vital, now more than ever, to do our part to take precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, particularly wearing face coverings, washing your hands more frequently, and maintaining physical space (at least 6 feet) between people not of the same household,” stated Geri Rackow, EIPH Director.
On July 14, EIPH’s Board of Health adopted the COVID-19 Regional Response Plan for the eight-county region (Bonneville, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, and Teton Counties). The plan is stratified by risk levels starting with a minimal risk/green level and escalating towards the critical risk/red level. Each level has its own metrics and mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of COVID-19. Different parts of EIPH’s region may be at different risk levels at any one time.
A copy of the plan, along with a chart indicating the risk level of each county, including specific guidance for that level, can be found here.