This article was originally published by Nicole Blanchard in the Idaho Statesman.
Ada County’s seven-day moving average for confirmed cases of COVID-19 fell below 60 cases per day for the first time in five months on Wednesday.
Data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and local health districts showed Idaho’s largest county has averaged 54.3 COVID-19 cases per day over the past week. The last time the county’s seven-day moving average was lower than 60 was in late September. One month ago, Ada County was still averaging about 110 confirmed COVID-19 cases per day, and at the peak of the state’s worst surge in mid-December, it reached a seven-day moving average of more than 400 cases.
Ada County added just 26 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, an unusually low number for a weekday in recent months. Even as cases have declined across the state, Ada County has continued to add several dozen per day.
In all, Idaho added 244 confirmed and 179 probable coronavirus infections on Wednesday for a total of 423. The statewide seven-day moving average, which on Wednesday was 272.3 new confirmed and probable cases per day over the past week, has remained below 300 for 10 days.
One day after seeing a large jump in COVID-19-related deaths, Idaho reported zero new deaths Wednesday. Monday had marked the state’s longest streak with no deaths in more than six months, but then 14 were added Tuesday. Since last March, 1,842 Idahoans have died of COVID-19.
The following Idaho counties reported new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday: Ada (26 new, 39,479 total), Adams (1 new, 252 total), Bannock (16 new, 4,666 total), Benewah (6 new, 466 total), Bingham (4 new, 2,543 total), Blaine (3 new, 1,941 total), Bonner (6 new, 2,404 total), Bonneville (30 new, 8,809 total), Boundary (5 new, 412 total), Canyon (23 new, 20,873 total), Elmore (1 new, 1,242 total), Franklin (1 new, 854 total), Fremont (3 new, 880 total), Gem (1 new, 1,329 total), Gooding (1 new, 911 total), Jefferson (10 new, 1,793 total), Jerome (2 new, 1,954 total), Kootenai (48 new, 14,710 total), Latah (31 new, 2,551 total), Lemhi (1 new, 401 total), Madison (20 new, 5,508 total), Payette (1 new, 1,891 total) and Twin Falls (8 new, 6,984 total).
Officials subtracted one case each from Custer (177 total), Minidoka (1,895 total), Nez Perce (3,047 total) and Washington (846 total) counties, as well as two cases from Boise County (229 total). Cases are sometimes removed when an investigation determines an individual’s residence is in another county, health district or state.
To date, 138,344 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Idaho, along with 32,038 probable cases. More than 93,000 people are presumed to have recovered from COVID-19.
GARDEN CITY WALMART TO BEGIN OFFERING COVID-19 VACCINE
Another Idaho Walmart store will be offering COVID-19 vaccines through its in-store pharmacy, according to a news release from the retail chain.
The Garden City Walmart at 7319 W. State St. will begin administering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 26. Vaccines will be available to individuals who meet vaccine eligibility requirements in Idaho, which can be found online at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
Insurance is not required for the vaccinations, and they are free of charge.
Walmart has already launched vaccine clinics in several other Idaho locations, including in Nampa, Caldwell and Mountain Home.
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 326,459, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 119,845 people have received only their first dose.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 7,044 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,229 admissions to the ICU and 9,486 health care workers infected. Hospital and health care numbers are based on cases with completed investigations into contacts, not the full number of positives.
St. Luke’s Health System: As of Feb. 23, the health system was reporting 22 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 460 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 4%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Feb. 23, the health system was reporting 31 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 342 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 9%.
Testing totals: Health and Welfare reported that 635,314 people had been tested statewide. About 21.7% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since Feb. 16: Boise High (1), Borah High (3), Capital High (2), Fairmont Jr. High (1), Frank Church High (1), Hillside Jr. High (1), Les Bois Jr. High (1), North Jr. High (1), Riverglen Jr. High (2), Riverside Elementary (1), Roosevelt Elementary (1), South Jr. High (1), Timberline High (1), West Junior High (6), Whittier Elementary (1).
West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for Feb. 11-24: Centennial High (3), Eagle High (4), Meridian High (1), Renaissance High (1), Rocky Mountain High (5), Lake Hazel Middle (1) Lewis and Clark Middle (1), Lowell Scott Middle (1), Meridian Middle (1) Pathways Middle (1), Victory Middle (1), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (1), Peregrine Elementary (2), Prospect Elementary (1).
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 39,479, Adams 252, Bannock 4,666, Bear Lake 250, Benewah 466, Bingham 2,543, Blaine 1,941, Boise 229, Bonner 2,404, Bonneville 8,809, Boundary 412, Butte 162, Camas 52, Canyon 20,873, Caribou 330, Cassia 2,434, Clark 44, Clearwater 747, Custer 177, Elmore 1,242, Franklin 854, Fremont 880, Gem 1,329, Gooding 911, Idaho 879, Jefferson 1,793, Jerome 1,954, Kootenai 14,710, Latah 2,551, Lemhi 401, Lewis 276, Lincoln 370, Madison 5,508, Minidoka 1,895, Nez Perce 3,047, Oneida 220, Owyhee 877, Payette 1,891, Power 457, Shoshone 943, Teton 615, Twin Falls 6,984, Valley 641, Washington 846.
