This article was originally published by Rachel Roberts in the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is once again on the rise.
On Thursday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported a statewide positivity rate of 16.2% on 23,065 tests for the week of Dec. 27 through Jan. 2. That’s up from 13% for Dec. 20-26 and 12.6% for Dec. 13-19.
Health experts say a rate below 5% demonstrates control over the spread of the virus. Idaho’s statewide positivity rate has not dipped below 5% since mid-June.
All seven of the Gem State’s public health districts saw an increase in positivity from the previous week. Panhandle Health District had the highest rate, at 24.3%, while Eastern Idaho Public Health reported the lowest, at 11.6%.
Southwest District Health, home to Nampa and Caldwell, reported a rate of 17.1%. Boise-based Central District Health saw its positivity rate jump from 10.3% to 14.1%.
There were 793 new confirmed cases and 345 new probable cases added statewide on Thursday, for a total of 1,138 new cases. Twenty-five new coronavirus-related deaths were added between Ada (3 new, 366 total), Bingham (2 new, 53 total), Bonner (3 new, 18 total), Bonneville (1 new, 118 total), Boundary (1 new, 10 total), Canyon (5 new, 231 total), Franklin (1 new, 11 total), Gooding (1 new, 19 total), Kootenai (6 new, 130 total), Shoshone (1 new, 29 total) and Washington (1 new, 16 total) counties.
Idaho has lost 1,519 residents to the virus, with a case fatality rate of about 1%.
Kootenai County added 188 new confirmed cases on Thursday for a total of 12,222 cases. Ada (161 new, 34,517 total), Canyon (108 new, 18,565 total), Bonneville (42 new, 7,903 total), Bannock (36 new, 4,013 total), Bonner (29 new, 1,748 total), Madison (24 new, 4756 total) and Bingham (23 new, 2,333 total) counties also experienced significant increases.
The other counties reporting new confirmed cases were Bear Lake (2 new, 216 total), Benewah (18 new, 376 total), Blaine (5 new, 1,465 total), Boundary (2 new, 283 total), Butte (1 new, 138 total), Caribou (1 new, 292 total), Cassia (6 new, 2,295 total), Clearwater (3 new, 630 total), Custer (1 new, 165 total), Elmore (3 new, 1,056 total), Franklin (9 new, 760 total), Fremont (6 new, 793 total), Gem (11 new, 1,158 total), Gooding (3 new, 855 total), Idaho (4 new, 830 total), Jefferson (11 new, 1,599 total), Jerome (1 new, 1,829 total), Latah (16 new, 2,109 total), Lemhi (1 new, 395 total), Lewis (1 new, 258 total), Lincoln (1 new, 346 total), Minidoka (5 new, 1,798 total), Nez Perce (13 new, 2,848 total), Oneida (2 new, 185 total), Owyhee (4 new, 808 total), Payette (4 new, 1,732 total), Shoshone (7 new, 828 total), Teton (5 new, 502 total), Twin Falls (15 new, 6,510 total), Valley (10 new, 441 total) and Washington (11 new, 784 total).
Idaho has reported 121,259 confirmed cases overall, plus 26,057 probable cases. Health and Welfare estimates that 63,778 people have recovered from the virus.
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 25,416, according to Health and Welfare.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 5,938 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,055 admissions to the ICU and 7,473 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 Jan. 6, the health system was reporting 78 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 497 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 14%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Jan. 6, the health system was reporting 66 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 374 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 23.7%.
Testing totals: At the end of the day Thursday, Health and Welfare reported that 557,144 people had been tested statewide. About 21.8% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 34,517, Adams 217, Bannock 4,013, Bear Lake 216, Benewah 376, Bingham 2,333, Blaine 1,465, Boise 190, Bonner 1,748, Bonneville 7,903, Boundary 283, Butte 138, Camas 42, Canyon 18,565, Caribou 292, Cassia 2,295, Clark 44, Clearwater 633, Custer 165, Elmore 1,056, Franklin 760, Fremont 793, Gem 1,158, Gooding 855, Idaho 830, Jefferson 1,599, Jerome 1,829, Kootenai 12,222, Latah 2,109, Lemhi 395, Lewis 258, Lincoln 346, Madison 4,756, Minidoka 1,798, Nez Perce 2,848, Oneida 185, Owyhee 808, Payette 1,732, Power 422, Shoshone 828, Teton 502, Twin Falls 6,510, Valley 441, Washington 784.
