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Spokane Covid Notes: Labor Day Lull And Schools

Spokane COVID Response

More travels on the Covid roller coaster.

Spokane County reported 61 new Covid cases on Tuesday. It’s the fourth consecutive day in the 60-to-70 range after three straight days with 100 or more.

Hospitalization numbers continue to inch up.

Thirty-six Spokane County residents and a few others from outside the county are receiving care in hospitals. Another 26 north Idaho residents with the coronavirus are also in hospitals.

A few school districts in the Inland Northwest are reporting students or staff testing positive. Central Valley, for example, says it has had four confirmed cases over the last two weeks. It also reports 16 people who had close contact with someone with a positive diagnosis.

Health Officer Bob Lutz says his office is keeping an eye on the cases, along with administrators in the affected school districts.

“It’s one thing if I’m seeing children with infections. It’s another thing if I’m seeing adults with infections. It’s also important to see where the transmission is occurring. Is it occurring in the school setting? Is it occurring extracurricular? I think, to date, many of our children are seeing the infection occur outside of the school, which is a credit to the fact that many of the recommendations for keeping school safe seem to be working," he said.

Lutz says children in the zero-to-nine age range have some of the lowest infection rates. That’s why he’s comfortable with having the youngest students in school, under the right hygienic conditions.