This article was originally published by Ruth Brown in the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho recorded 960 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday and 278 new probable cases, for a total of 1,238. And Idaho’s testing positivity rate hit an all-time high: 16.9%. Ideally, the state targets a rate less than 5%.
Ada County, whose numbers have been skyrocketing, reported 183 new confirmed cases Thursday, according to Central District Health. The increase brings the countywide total to 17,920, the most in the state.
Canyon County also reported 183 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to Southwest District Health, bringing that county’s confirmed case total to 10,922.
Of the infected Idahoans, 361 of them were in the hospital on Monday, and as of Thursday, the state had just 118 ICU beds available for people in need, according to the Department of Health and Welfare. Also on Thursday, St. Luke’s Health System announced that it would temporarily stop schedulingcertain elective surgeries and procedures because of an increasing number of coronavirus patients in hospitals.
The state saw 15 new deaths because of COVID-19-related causes on Thursday, bringing the statewide death toll to 753.
Twin Falls County reported three new deaths, Bonneville County reported two and Idaho County reported two. Nez Perce, Franklin, Bannock, Canyon, Payette, Ada, Minidoka and Fremont counties recorded one new death apiece.
Since the pandemic reached Idaho, there have been 67,325 confirmed cases. Health and Welfare recorded 11,199 probable cases of coronavirus Thursday. The state also estimates that 34,104 people have recovered from the virus.
On Wednesday, in observance of Veterans Day, Idaho North Central District, Southwest District Health and South Central Public Health did not update their websites with new COVID-19 case counts. The Idaho Statesman instead used case numbers on Wednesday from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Gov. Brad Little is set to host a virtual press conference Friday afternoon with the latest on any coronavirus precautions. It will be streamed live at 1 p.m. on Idaho Public Television.
Other counties to report new confirmed cases of coronavirus Thursday include: Nez Perce 34 (1,358 total), Latah 11 (1,162 total), Idaho 18 (480 total), Clearwater 9 (196 total), Lewis 9 (123 total), Bannock 29 (2,189 total), Bear Lake 2 (109 total), Bingham 25 (1,475 total), Franklin 2 (372 total), Oneida 1 (81 total), Gem 11 (462 total), Owyhee 8 (420 total), Payette 7 (1,114 total), Washington 5 (492 total), Boise 1 (88 total), Elmore 7 (511 total), Valley 1 (153 total), Kootenai 47 (5,109 total), Bonner 18 (596 total), Boundary 4 (125 total), Shoshone 2 (353 total), Blaine 23 (996 total), Cassia 14 (1,607 total), Gooding 7 (594 total), Jerome 26 (1,315 total), Lincoln 1 (247 total), Minidoka 4 (1,326 total), Twin Falls 90 (4,731 total), Bonneville 75 (4,495 total), Custer 3 (104 total), Fremont 12 (540 total), Jefferson 8 (956 total), Lemhi 12 (343 total), Madison 65 (2,868 total), Teton 3 (352 total).
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 3,061 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 600 admissions to the ICU and 4,401 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 Nov. 11, the health system was reporting 129 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 528 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 20%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Nov. 11, the health system was reporting 64 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 336 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 21.5%.
Boise School District:The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff since Nov. 3: Amity Elementary (3), Boise High (12), Borah High, (8) Capital High (7), Cynthia Mann Elementary (1), District Services Center (5), East Junior High (2), Fairmont Junior High (1), Frank Church High (5), Grace Jordan Elementary (1), Hawthorne Elementary (3), Hillcrest Elementary (1), Hillside Junior High (4), Horizon Elementary (4), Jefferson Elementary (2), Liberty Elementary (2), Longfellow Elementary (1), Lowell Elementary (2), Madison Early Childhood Education Center (1), Maple Grove Elementary (2), Monroe Elementary (1), Morley Nelson Elementary (1), North Junior High (8), Owyhee Elementary (1), Riverglen Junior High (7), Riverside Elementary (5), Shadow Hills Elementary (1), South Junior High (4), Taft Elementary (1), Timberline High (6), Trail Wind Elementary (1), Valley View Elementary (1), West Junior High (2), White Pine Elementary (2), Whitney Elementary (1), Whittier Elementary (12).
West Ada School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff for the weeks of Oct. 25-Nov. 7: Centennial High (4), Eagle High (11), Meridian Academy (1), Meridian High (13), Mountain View High (17), Rocky Mountain High (5), Eagle Middle (2), Lewis and Clark Middle (6), Lowell Scott Middle (3), Meridian Middle (1), Pathways Middle (1), Sawtooth Middle (1), Star Middle (2), Barbara Morgan STEM (1), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (2), Chief Joseph School of the Arts (2), Christine Donnell (1), Desert Sage Elementary (1), Discovery Elementary (1), Eagle Hills Elementary (1), Eliza Hart Spalding Stem Academy (1), Galileo STEM Academy (1), Hillsdale Elementary (5), Mary McPhearson (1), McMillan Elementary (2), Meridian Elementary (1), Pepper Ridge (1), Peregrine Elementary (1), Pioneer School of the Arts (1), Pleasant View Elementary (1), Ponderosa Elementary (1), Prospect Elementary (1), River Valley Elementary (1).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Thursday, Health and Welfare reported that 420,783 people had been tested statewide. About 15.9% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with community spread: All counties except Adams have been announced to have community spread.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 17,920, Adams 71, Bannock 2,189, Bear Lake 109, Benewah 209, Bingham 1,475, Blaine 996, Boise 88, Bonner 596, Bonneville 4,495, Boundary 125, Butte 97, Camas 39, Canyon 10,922, Caribou 252, Cassia 1,604, Clark 37, Clearwater 196, Custer 104, Elmore 511, Franklin 372, Fremont 540, Gem 462, Gooding 594, Idaho 480, Jefferson 956, Jerome 1,315, Kootenai 5,109, Latah 1,162, Lemhi 343, Lewis 123, Lincoln 247, Madison 2,868, Minidoka 1,326, Nez Perce 1,358, Oneida 81, Owyhee 420, Payette 1,114, Power 336, Shoshone 353, Teton 352, Twin Falls 4,641, Valley 153, Washington 492.
