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First case of coronavirus confirmed in Idaho

Posted at 4:07 PM, Mar 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-13 19:42:25-04

ADA COUNTY, Idaho — The first case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Idaho. During a press conference in the Governor's ceremonial office, the woman lives in Ada County and she was over the age of 50. She recently came back from a conference New York City and traveled through the Boise Airport.

The conference happened in late February through early March and three other people there had confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the briefing.

The sample was taken Thursday night and test Friday morning. She showed mild symptoms and is at home in self-quarantine.

There could potentially have been some risk exposure from other people in her group. After her return from New York City, she had normal days where she was low-risk exposure. CDHD is looking into those risks.

Other than the Boise Airport, she has not visited any public schools or the Statehouse. She was not showing symptoms while flying, so risk of transmission is low. You can watch the full press conference at the bottom of this article.

Governor Little and other health officials praised the woman for following proper protocols. They do not think she spread the virus to other people in Idaho, but will continue to investigate the circumstances that led Idaho's first case.

Here at 6 On Your Side, we have the responsibility to be calm and pragmatic about coverage of the coronavirus. Our over-riding theme will be to use common sense in order to tell an effective story. It is human nature to have anxiety over the unknown, so it is important to stick to the facts as we go through uncharted waters.

By now, you have heard COVID-19 is more of a threat to the elderly and those with underlying health issues, but that does not mean everyone is out of the woods. Coronavirus is disrupting life as we know it, and hopefully soon with the precautions we can take now, we can minimize the effect of the virus.

Hand washing, social distancing and quarantine are not just good advice, but necessary steps in our everyday lives. We will do our part in informing you of the very latest information.