This article was originally published by Jacob Scholl and Audrey Dutton in the Idaho Statesman.
A 7-year-old Idaho girl is the state’s first to be hospitalized for an illness associated with COVID-19.
The child, with no prior medical conditions, was hospitalized on Wednesday at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (or MIS-C), a potentially serious illness for kids that is associated with the coronavirus.
The girl is from the Treasure Valley and was admitted to St. Luke’s from another hospital. After four days in the pediatric ICU, she was recovered enough to move to the main hospital floor. She went home from the hospital Monday, said Dr. Kenny Bramwell, system medical director for St. Luke’s Children’s.
“So this is actually a really great success story,” Bramwell said.
MIS-C, a rare illness, first appeared in the U.S. in New York a few months ago. It appears to be a delayed reaction to the coronavirus and can show up weeks after exposure. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, vomiting, skin rash, diarrhea and low blood pressure.
The girl’s symptoms included “quite a bit of abdominal pain and vomiting,” Bramwell said.
Some symptoms of MIS-C resemble those of Kawasaki Disease, a toxic shock syndrome where blood vessels can enlarge and form aneurysms. The complication can also impact the heart’s function, damage kidneys, as well as display neurologic and gastrointestinal symptoms.
A total of 570 cases of MIS-C in 40 states had been reported to the CDC as of July 29. More than half of the patients had to be admitted to the ICU, and 10 children have died from the syndrome.
Children who survive may have severe complications. According to the CDC, about 41% of patients have heart dysfunction, shock, myocarditis, coronary artery dilatation or aneurysm and kidney injury.
“Unfortunately I do expect we’ll have a handful more of these cases as the prevalence (of COVID-19) continues here locally,” Bramwell said.
He said there is generally one case of MIS-C for every 1,000 cases of COVID-19.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OFFERING VIRTUAL LEARNING HUBS
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County is offering some help to those kids who need a place to learn while remote.
The group will shift from after-school care providers to “virtual education hubs,” as the Boys and Girls Clubs will offer a safe place for kids to learn remotely from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, according to a news release from the organization.
Seven locations around Ada County will offer the learning hub service, and it will cost parents $35 per week for the full-day program, which includes access to internet, meals and a classroom-like setting with staff on hand to help with schoolwork. When classes are done, the organization will “weave-in sports, recreation, arts, games and science activities to keep kids active and having fun,” according to the news release.
Kids will be put in small groups to ensure social distancing is being practiced. Those who go to the learning hubs will have their temperatures checked upon arrival, kids will wear masks and each area will be sanitized after room changes.
The virtual education hubs will be located at seven Boys and Girls Clubs locations in Ada County:
- Moseley Center, located at 610 E. 42nd St. in Garden City
- Meridian Club, located at 911 N. Meridian Road in Meridian
- 4th Street Gym, located at 571 W. 4th St. in Kuna
- Desert Sage Elementary, located at 9325 W. Mossywood Drive in Boise
- Peregrine Elementary, located at 1860 W. Waltman St. in Meridian
- Hawthorne Elementary, located at 2401 W. Targee St. in Boise
- Koelsch Elementary, located at 2015 N. Curtis Road in Boise
Scholarships are available. For information or to sign up, visit www.adaclubs.org.
SIX NEW COVID DEATHS IN IDAHO REPORTED MONDAY
Health officials around Idaho reported six new coronavirus-related deaths on Monday. The state’s death total now stands at 275 as of Monday evening.
Two deaths were reported in Canyon, while Ada, Kootenai, Shoshone and Owyhee counties each reported single deaths. Idaho’s largest county, Ada, now has 96 coronavirus-related deaths, the most of any county in the state.
On Monday, local health districts reported 271 new, confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Idaho, bringing the state’s total to 26,143. Leading the state in new cases Monday was Ada County, which added 75 confirmed cases to its total. The county now has 9,440 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday.
Just behind Ada was Canyon County, which reported 62 new cases on Monday. The county now has 6,104 confirmed cases of the virus.
Other counties reporting double-digit new cases Monday include Nez Perce (11), Latah (13) and Bannock (21).
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported 32 new “probable cases” on Monday, bringing the total to 1,851. Of those with the virus, IDHW reports that 11,093 people are presumed to be recovered from the virus.
IDHW also reports that 225,018 coronavirus tests have been taken since the pandemic began, and about 11.6% of those tests have returned positive.
Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 9,440, Adams 21, Bannock 503, Bear Lake 29, Benewah 70, Bingham 346, Blaine 571, Boise 41, Bonner 186, Bonneville 1,096, Boundary 40, Butte 2, Camas 1, Canyon 6,104, Caribou 32, Cassia 505, Clark 12, Clearwater 17, Custer 11, Elmore 212, Franklin 47, Fremont 82, Gem 175, Gooding 164, Idaho 35, Jefferson 225, Jerome 470, Kootenai 1,978, Latah 138, Lemhi 45, Lewis 5, Lincoln 55, Madison 155, Minidoka 477, Nez Perce 170, Oneida 14, Owyhee 255, Payette 411, Power 76, Shoshone 168, Teton 86, Twin Falls 1,374, Valley 73 and Washington 226.
Community spread has been found in the majoirty of Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
