CDC moves Boise area back into high-risk category. What that means for mask recommendation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has bumped Ada County back up to a high-risk community for COVID-19.
The move comes after the CDC last week moved the county to the medium-risk category, even as the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare maintained it was still at high risk.
For people in high-risk counties, the CDC recommends they wear masks indoors and on public transportation, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms. People who are at high risk should also take additional precautions.
According to the most recent data from the CDC, as of June 29, the case rate for Ada County was 295 over the past week, a jump over last week, when it recorded a case rate of 194.6.
The number of new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people also went up from 11.9 last week to 17, and the percent of staffed inpatient beds being used by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose from 5.9% to 6.6%.
The positivity rate in the county also climbed from 9.3% to 10.9% for the week of June 17, the most recent data available.
The county also remains at high risk according to the Department of Health and Welfare.
Last week, Dr. Kathryn Turner, Idaho deputy state epidemiologist, recommended people who haven’t been vaccinated or aren’t up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, along with those who have COVID-19 risk factors, in particular should follow the mask recommendations, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
