This article was originally published by Ian Max Stevenson in the Idaho Statesman.
National entities have awarded Idaho health officials funding to support ongoing vaccination efforts in a state where coronavirus caseload numbers are improving, but vaccine resistance means Idaho is lagging national averages.
On Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that it is awarding $22 million to Idaho’s Office of Emergency Management, according to a news release. The money is meant to help state and local agencies that have had to increase staffing, purchase supplies and equipment, or divert resources to vaccinate their populations.
Though the funds went to IOEM, the money is reimbursement for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s expenses accrued during the pandemic. IOEM will be responsible for disbursing the funds to state, local and tribal jurisdictions, according to the release.
“Idaho’s vaccination efforts were, and continue to be, critical in saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic,” FEMA’s Region 10 Acting Administrator Vincent J. Maykovich said in the release.
Also on Tuesday, the National Association of County and City Health Officials announced that it had awarded a grant of up to $25,000 to Central District Health, which has jurisdiction over Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties. NACCHO represents nearly 3,000 health departments around the nation.
The grant, which was given to 10 local health departments in the entire U.S., is meant to support CDH’s “capacity building and technical assistance, training, information sharing, and material development to strengthen public health immunization strategies,” according to a Tuesday release.
NEW CASES AND DEATHS
Idaho added 233 new cases on Tuesday, marking a slight uptick in infections amid weeks of downward-trending numbers, according to updated data from the Department of Health and Welfare.
Not including Mondays, when the daily tally includes cases reported over the weekend, 233 cases is the highest daily total since April 28, when 255 were added. Since mid-March, when the seven-day moving average of new cases was over 300, daily totals have been falling. The seven-day average on Tuesday was 161.1.
Most of the day’s cases came from Ada (65 new, 52,090 total), Bannock (21 new, 8,771), Canyon (28 new, 26,730 total) and Kootenai (32 new, 18,051 total) counties.
Health and Welfare subtracted one case from Clearwater County (1,050 total).
The state also subtracted three deaths from its total on Tuesday, citing a “data entry error,” according to a tweet. The deaths were removed from the tallies for Bonneville (-2 new, 167 total) and Canyon (-1 new, 295 total) counties. According to updated demographic data, the mistaken deaths were of an individual in their 50s, a second in their 40s and one person between the ages of 18 and 29.
In total, there have been 2,058 COVID-19-related deaths during the pandemic. The number of patients admitted to an ICU since last March rose to 1,391 on Tuesday. There have been 8,248 total hospitalizations and 109,070 estimated recoveries.
The other counties adding new cases on Tuesday were: Adams (1 new, 340 total), Benewah (2 new, 685 total), Bingham (3 new, 4,824 total), Blaine (10 new, 2,378 total), Bonner (4 new, 3,242 total), Bonneville (12 new, 14,882 total), Cassia (1 new, 2,940 total), Elmore (4 new, 2,008 total), Fremont (2 new, 1,132 total), Gem (1 new, 1,772 total), Idaho (3 new, 1,219 total), Jefferson (2 new, 3,002 total), Jerome (1 new, 2,603 total), Latah (1 new, 3,140 total), Lemhi (2 new, 527 total), Lewis (1 new, 396 total), Lincoln (1 new, 506 total), Madison (3 new, 7,191 total), Nez Perce (4 new, 3,625 total), Oneida (2 new, 362 total), Owyhee (2 new, 1,066 total), Payette (5 new, 2,558 total), Power (1 new, 654 total), Shoshone (1 new, 1,113 total), Teton (5 new, 1,220 total), Twin Falls (13 new, 9,512 total), Washington (1 new, 1,215 total).
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 1,128,533, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 540,185 people have been fully vaccinated.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 8,248 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,391 admissions to the ICU and 10,559 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 May 10, the health system was reporting 22 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 495 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 4%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of May 10, the health system was reporting 37 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 383 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 8.2%.
Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since April 27: Boise High School (2), East Jr. High (1), Garfield Elementary (1), Hillcrest Elementary (1), Liberty Elementary (1), Maple Grove Elementary (2), Monroe Elementary (1), North Jr, High (1), Riverglen Jr. High (2), Shadow Hills Elementary (3), Trail Wind Elementary (2), West Jr. High (2).
West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for April 28-May 11: Centennial High (2), Eagle High (1), Rocky Mountain High (1), Lake Hazel Middle (1), Lewis and Clark Middle (1), Lowell Scott Middle (2), Sawtooth Middle (2), Christine Donnell (1), Hillsdale Elementary (1), Hunter Elementary (1), Peregrine Elementary (1), Ponderosa Elementary (1).
Total COVID-19 cases by county (confirmed + probable): Ada 52,090, Adams 340, Bannock 8,771, Bear Lake 382, Benewah 685, Bingham 4,824, Blaine 2,378, Boise 357, Bonner 3,242, Bonneville 14,882, Boundary 868, Butte 210, Camas 71, Canyon 26,730, Caribou 692, Cassia 2,940, Clark 59, Clearwater 1,050, Custer 248, Elmore 2,008, Franklin 1,182, Fremont 1,132, Gem 1,772, Gooding 1,311, Idaho 1,219, Jefferson 3,002, Jerome 2,603, Kootenai 18,051, Latah 3,140, Lemhi 527, Lewis 396, Lincoln 506, Madison 7,191, Minidoka 2,339, Nez Perce 3,625, Oneida 362, Owyhee 1,066, Payette 2,558, Power 654, Shoshone 1,113, Teton 1,220, Twin Falls 9,512, Valley 838, Washington 1,215.
