BOISE, Idaho — Boise Mayor Lauren McClean and acting Boise Fire Chief Romeo Gervais announced on Thursday that the City of Boise will be creating a Coronavirus Task Force. The task force will report to McClean regarding coordination with local and state agencies to prepare for a potential outbreak in Idaho.
"It's important to remember that the individual risk to Idaho is low, but we want to be prepared as a city if there is an outbreak to address it quickly and efficiently," McClean said in a press release. "This task force will ensure we can do that."
As of Thursday, there are still no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state of Idaho. A total of 36 people have been monitored by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Of that number, 27 are no longer being monitored, meaning nine people are still under observation.
According to the Idaho DHW, a total of 15 people in Idaho have been tested for the virus, including one Oregon resident that was tested in Idaho.
The new task force will be chaired by Boise's emergency manager Mallory Willson and will work with other local agencies to plan for an outbreak, including Boise's chief of police Mike Masterson and City Council President Pro Tem Holli Woodings.
McClean wants to remind Boise that, although the risk to Idaho is low, locals should continue taking precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the virus, such as washing your hands regularly with soap and hot water and staying home if you are sick.
Facts not fear: Putting COVID-19 into context
The majority of people who have coronavirus will get better without any long-term effects, according to an Oregon doctor. About 82% of cases tend to be mild. In these cases, symptoms diminish over five to seven days, although people are still capable of transmitting the disease. But there are many people with a higher risk of having a more severe disease if they are diagnosed with coronavirus, including those with heart disease, diabetes, asthma and other vascular disease problems.
Also, most children who get it have mild symptoms.
To put the coronavirus numbers in context, millions of Americans get the flu every single year and there are thousands of flu deaths annually.
Since October 2019, the CDC estimates around 32 million Americans have gotten the flu. That’s one in every 10 Americans.
Since the coronavirus outbreak began late last year, there have been around 80,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in China. That means those cases account for just around .0056% of China's population.”
WATCH BELOW: Gov. Little: risk for coronavirus in Idaho is low.
