BOISE, Idaho — Editor's note: The above video looks at how thoroughly we should be washing our hands to stop the spread of any disease.
UPDATE: The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Idaho' first confirmed case of coronavirus on Friday, March 13. See the latest news and Idaho Gov. Little's press conference on the confirmed case here.
We also have an updating list of everything cancelled or postponed in Southern Idaho due to coronavirus fears.
EARLIER STORY:
In total, 131 people in Idaho have been tested for coronavirus as of Friday, March 13. Thirteen of those tests were performed through commercial laboratories, the rest through the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories.
Eleven people are currently being monitored by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for possible coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
A message on the state's official coronavirus information site that declared "the individual risk in Idaho is low at this time" was removed on Thursday.
“Being surrounded by states with confirmed cases, the risk is no longer low,” a spokesperson for the governor said Thursday.
Gov. Brad Little will hold a press conference on coronavirus at 10 a.m. Friday. It will be streamed live here.
Boise's Treefort Music Fest was postponed until September amid coronavirus fears.
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials say Idahoans should take precautions necessary to avoid becoming infected and should remain calm. The Department of Health and Welfare says they are in communication with the CDC and Idaho public health officials.
Anyone with symptoms of a fever or cough is asked to call their medical provider to find out if they should be tested.
The state is prepared to respond should the virus break out in Idaho, according to officials.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest there have been multiple coronavirus cases and precautionary measures taken throughout Washington and Oregon.
As of Friday, there were 24 confirmed cases in Oregon and no deaths reported. In Washington, there have been 31 deaths among the 457 people who tested positive for the virus.
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WATCH BELOW: Idaho State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn answers viewer questions about the coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic
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 80% 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.
WHO officials said March 9 that of about 80,000 people who have been sickened by COVID-19 in China, more than 70% have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.
Patients are typically released when they test negative twice for the virus within 24 hours, meaning they’re no longer carrying the virus, although some countries may be using a slightly different definition, that may include when people have no more respiratory symptoms or a clear CT scan.
The World Health Organization said it could take considerably longer for people to be “recovered,” depending on the severity of disease.
Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief, said it can take up to six weeks for people to fully recover from COVID-19 infections, which could include pneumonia and other respiratory problems in serious cases. He said the numbers of reported patients have not always been systematically provided to World Health Organization although the U.N. health agency is asking every country with cases for further information.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
WATCH BELOW: Protecting yourself from coronavirus
