Idaho Health Official Says Contact Tracing 'Basically Impossible' As COVID Surge Overwhelms Hospital System

As Idaho sees a sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations related to the disease, one local health official said his district essentially halted contact tracing efforts because the prevalence of infection became too great for tracers to manage. Dr. Joshua Kern, the vice president of medical affairs at St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, discussed the ways in which surging diagnoses have "overwhelmed" the area's public health system during a Wednesday appearance soon NBC's Meet the Press.

"The numbers got so big that it was basically impossible to keep up on the contact tracing," Kern told Chuck Todd, who moderates Meet the Press, during the recent interview.

"Our health district has been scrambling to get more people trained up...good contact tracing takes a couple of hours per person, but when you're having 500 cases a week, you know, the man hours don't really add up," he explained. "There's not enough [people] available in a small community like ours."

Almost 61,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Idaho since the pandemic began, according to data updated Tuesday by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Of those who contracted the respiratory syndrome, at least 585 people have died. Amid a national resurgence of confirmed infections, currently affecting most U.S. states, Idaho reported a significant spike in statewide COVID-19 cases in October, establishing a new record increase in diagnoses identified on a single day during the second week of the month. The state's latest daily jump in cases neared its record total, with more than 880 infections confirmed on Tuesday.

Idaho's coronavirus outbreak was relatively mild during the first several months of the pandemic. The state began to see cases climb over the summer, having confirmed more than 90 percent of its total infections since the beginning of July. Infections skyrocketed over the past several weeks, when nearly 20,000 new cases were diagnosed statewide.

The number of patients hospitalized with serious COVID-19 cases climbed alongside Idaho's confirmed cases, setting a new record late last week. Medical facilities in certain parts of the state reached or approached their maximum capacities due to the influx of patients. St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center, where Kern is employed, temporarily stopped admitting pediatric patients in an effort to prioritize the high volume of individuals sick with COVID-19.

In response to the state's rising statistics, and increasing pressure on its healthcare system, Idaho Governor Brad Little reimplemented restrictions to mitigate the virus' further spread on Monday. The restrictions, consistent with Stage 3 of Idaho's reopening plan, include attendance caps for group gatherings and regulations to promote social distancing at restaurants and bars.

Under Stage 3, indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people or less, and individuals are expected to wear face masks and maintain six feet of distance while attending them. Idaho originally transitioned out of its third reopening phase in early June.

Kern addressed the relatively high attendance limit set by the governor during Wednesday's Meet the Press interview. He told Todd that he believes the spike in virus cases, at least in his region, is primarily linked to transmission among smaller groups.

"Backyard barbecues...that kind of thing. People kind of getting that COVID fatigue and trying to feel like, 'Let's get back to normal,'" Kern said. "But everyone did it at once, and now we've got the virus everywhere."