This article was originally written by Nicole Blanchard for the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho health officials on Sunday reported nearly 800 new coronavirus infections and three deaths attributed to COVID-19, according to a Statesman analysis of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare data.
Ada, Canyon and Payette counties reported one new death each. To date, 265 Ada County residents have died of COVID-19, as well as 154 Canyon County residents and 16 Payette County residents.
Sunday’s three deaths add to what was already the deadliest week in Idaho since the start of the pandemic, with 116 Idahoans dying of COVID-19-related causes since Nov. 30. In all, 1,041 Idaho residents have died of the disease.
In addition to the deaths, health officials reported 642 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, as well as 151 probable cases — 793 cases total.
Ada County accounted for nearly one-third of the total confirmed cases, with the county adding 204 new cases Sunday. In the last three days, Ada County has twice set new record high seven-day moving averages, reporting about 319 new cases per day. Health officials have reported 24,430 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ada County since March.
Officials have reported 93,080 confirmed cases statewide. Health and Welfare reported that Idaho has had 17,496 probable cases of the coronavirus and estimates that 43,380 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus.
The following Idaho counties also reported new COVID-19 cases on Sunday: Bannock (21 new, 3,058 total), Bingham (1 new, 1,955 total), Boise (1 new, 124 total), Bonner (24 new, 1,031 total), Bonneville (85 new, 6,328 total), Boundary (2 new, 184 total), Canyon (164 new, 14,979 total), Cassia (2 new, 2,051 total), Elmore (7 new, 733 total), Fremont (3 new, 708 total), Gem (9 new, 868 total), Gooding (7 new, 762 total), Jefferson (17 new, 1,340 total), Jerome (1 new, 1,645 total), Kootenai (23 new, 7,631 total), Lemhi (1 new, 377 total), Madison (37 new, 4,056 total), Minidoka (3 new, 1,630 total), Owyhee (16 new, 690 total), Payette (5 new, 1,475 total), Shoshone (1 new, 535 total), Teton (1 new, 435 total), Twin Falls (1 new, 5,862 total), Valley (3 new, 232 total) and Washington (3 new, 672 total).
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 4,388 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 822 admissions to the ICU and 5,468 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 Dec. 5, the health system was reporting 140 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 478 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 19%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Dec. 5, the health system was reporting 92 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 295 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 26.9%.
Boise School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff since Dec. 1 : District Services (5), Monroe Elementary (1), Pierce Park Elementary (1), Riverglen Junior High (1), Taft Elementary (1), Trail Wind Elementary (1), Whitney Elementary (2).
West Ada School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff for Nov. 23-Dec. 6: Centennial High (13), Central Academy (1), Eagle Academy (4), Eagle High (10), Idaho Fine Arts (1), Meridian Academy (2), Meridian High (20), Mountain View High (22), Renaissance High (10), Rocky Mountain High (22), Crossroads Middle (1), Eagle Middle (5), Heritage Middle (10), Lake Hazel Middle (10), Lewis and Clark Middle (10), Lowell Scott Middle (4), Meridian Middle (6), Sawtooth Middle (6), Star Middle (4), Victory Middle (6), Barbara Morgan STEM (3), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (2), Chaparral Elementary (1), Chief Joseph School of the Arts (3), Christine Donnell (4), Desert Sage Elementary (4), Discovery Elementary (1), Eagle Hills Elementary (1), Frontier Elementary (1), Galileo STEM Academy (1), Hillsdale Elementary (4), Hunter Elementary (3), Mary McPherson (2), Meridian Elementary (3), Paramount Elementary (3), Pepper Ridge Elementary (3), Pioneer School of the Arts (3), Pleasant View Elementary (2), Ponderosa Elementary (4), Prospect Elementary (4), Seven Oaks Elementary (1), Siena Elementary (3), Silver Sage Elementary (1), Star Elementary (1), Summerwind STEM Academy (1), Ustick Elementary (1), Willow Creek Elementary (2).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Sunday, Health and Welfare reported that 492,725 people had been tested statewide. About 18.8% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 24,430, Adams 100, Bannock 3,058, Bear Lake 167, Benewah 279, Bingham 1,955, Blaine 1,285, Boise 124, Bonner 1,031, Bonneville 6,328, Boundary 184, Butte 113, Camas 42, Canyon 14,979, Caribou 268, Cassia 2,051, Clark 42, Clearwater 509, Custer 142, Elmore 733, Franklin 586, Fremont 708, Gem 868, Gooding 762, Idaho 714, Jefferson 1,340, Jerome 1,645, Kootenai 7,631, Latah 1,731, Lemhi 377, Lewis 203, Lincoln 302, Madison 4,056, Minidoka 1,630, Nez Perce 2,300, Oneida 125, Owyhee 690, Payette 1,475, Power 381, Shoshone 535, Teton 435, Twin Falls 5,862, Valley 232, Washington 672.
