This article was originally published by Ruth Brown in the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho recorded 943 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Monday and 175 probable cases, for a total of 1,118, and also added 23 deaths statewide.
Hot spot Ada County reported 366 new confirmed cases on Monday, according to Health and Welfare, bringing the countywide total to 27,635 confirmed infections. Ada County also reported six new deaths, bringing its toll to 291 people.
Ada County also has a new high for its seven-day moving average, at 418.7 new cases per day.
Canyon County reported 163 new confirmed cases Monday, bringing the countywide total to 16,201 confirmed infections, according to Southwest District Health.
Health and Welfare’sweekly coronavirus in schools report showed that 315 infections were reported across Idaho’s K-12 schools from Dec. 7-13.
The 23 new deaths in COVID-19-related causes brought the statewide death toll to 1,202. Of Monday’s deaths, six were in Ada County, two were in Clearwater County, two were in Kootenai County and two were in Bonneville County. Nez Perce, Lewis, Bannock, Franklin, Bingham, Canyon, Elmore, Blaine, Twin Falls, Lemhi and Jefferson counties each added one death.
Health and Welfare has reported 19,877 probable cases and estimated that 47,497 people had recovered from the virus.
Other counties to confirm new cases of coronavirus on Monday were: Nez Perce (52 new, 2,520 total), Latah (22 new, 1,870 total), Idaho (5 new, 761 total), Clearwater (9 new, 585 total) Lewis (2 new, 239 total), Adams (9 new, 119 total), Gem (23 new, 991 total), Owyhee (4 new, 719 total), Payette (14 new, 1,559 total), Washington (4 new, 698 total), Kootenai (71 new, 9,095 total), Shoshone (8 new, 631 total), Bonner (33 new, 1,230 total), Boundary (1 new, 207 total), Benewah (1 new, 302 total), Boise (3 new, 156 total), Elmore (9 new, 838 total), Valley (4 new, 260 total), Bannock (31 new, 3,357 total), Bear Lake (1 new, 174 total), Bingham (11 new, 2,098 total), Butte (1 new, 119 total), Franklin (7 new, 631 total), Oneida (4 new, 160 total), Power (2 new, 401 total), Blaine (7 new, 1,371 total), Cassia (2 new, 2,149 total) Gooding (4 new, 800 total), Jerome (1 removed, 1,701 total), Twin Falls (8 new, 6,044 total), Bonneville (44 new, 6,949 total), Jefferson (8 new, 1,439 total), Madison (8 new, 4,396 total), Teton (3 new, 450 total).
HEALTH CARE WORKERS SEE FIRST VACCINATIONS IN REXBURG
The first Idahoans to receive the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday were health care workers at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg.
Mimi Taylor, spokesperson for the Eastern Idaho Public Health District, told the Statesman that the first five doses were administered to health care workers at around 12:30 p.m. The health district received the shipment early Monday and will work to distribute it to health professionals across the district.
Hospitals in the Treasure Valley and across the rest of Idaho are expecting to receive their vaccine shipments at some point this week. The first shipment is destined for hospital staff and outpatient clinic staff who provide care for COVID-19 patients, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. More detail on who is in the first phase of Idaho’s vaccine roll-out plan is available at https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/covid-19-vaccine.
MINIDOKA COUNTY HEALTH BOARD REP RESIGNS
According to Boise State Public Radio, the Minidoka County representative on the South Central Public Health District Board has resigned after voting in favor of a mask mandate that was defeated.
Tracy Haskin resigned a few hours after the Nov. 19 vote, she told Boise State Public Radio on Monday. In that meeting, the district voted 5-4 to reject a mask mandate.
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 4,827 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 884 admissions to the ICU and 5,934 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. 13, the health system was reporting 118 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 418 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 17%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Dec. 13, the health system was reporting 86 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 298 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 25.8%.
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), DTEC (1), Frank Church High School (2), Hawthorne Elementary (2), Liberty Elementary (2), Lowell Elementary (1), Monroe Elementary (1), Pierce Park Elementary (1), Riverglen Junior High (1), South Jr. High (1), Taft Elementary (2), 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. 30-Dec. 13: Centennial High (21), Central Academy (1), Eagle Academy (5), Eagle High (18), Idaho Fine Arts (2), Meridian Academy (2), Meridian High (28), Mountain View High (30), Renaissance High (11), Rocky Mountain High (40), Crossroads Middle (1), Eagle Middle (8), Heritage Middle (11), Lake Hazel Middle (13), Lewis and Clark Middle (11), Lowell Scott Middle (7), Meridian Middle (8), Pathways Middle (2), Sawtooth Middle (10), Star Middle (5), Victory Middle (3), Barbara Morgan STEM (6), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (2), Chaparral Elementary (1), Chief Joseph School of the Arts (5), Christine Donnell (5), Desert Sage Elementary (4), Discovery Elementary (3), Eagle Hills Elementary (5), Eliza Hart Spalding STEM (1), Frontier Elementary (1), Galileo STEM Academy (2), Hillsdale Elementary (2), Hunter Elementary (3), Joplin Elementary (1), Lake Hazel Elementary (1), Mary McPherson (1), Meridian Elementary (3), Paramount Elementary (3), Pioneer School of the Arts (3), Pleasant View Elementary (3), Ponderosa Elementary (4), Prospect Elementary (4), River Valley Elementary (3), Seven Oaks Elementary (1), Siena Elementary (3), Silver Sage Elementary (1), Star Elementary (1), Summerwind STEM Academy (1), Ustick Elementary (1), Willow Creek Elementary (3).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Monday, Health and Welfare reported that 507,379 people had been tested statewide. About 20.2% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 27,635, Adams 119, Bannock 3,357, Bear Lake 174, Benewah 302, Bingham 2,098, Blaine 1,371, Boise 156, Bonner 1,230, Bonneville 6,949, Boundary 207, Butte 119, Camas 42, Canyon 16,201, Caribou 270, Cassia 2,149, Clark 43, Clearwater 585, Custer 152, Elmore 829, Franklin 631, Fremont 747, Gem 991, Gooding 800, Idaho 761, Jefferson 1,439, Jerome 1,701, Kootenai 9,095, Latah 1,865, Lemhi 383, Lewis 239, Lincoln 319, Madison 4,396, Minidoka 1,675, Nez Perce 2,520, Oneida 160, Owyhee 719, Payette 1,559, Power 400, Shoshone 631, Teton 450, Twin Falls 6,044, Valley 260, Washington 698.
