Idaho’s COVID-19 positivity rate rises, Ada County adds bulk of state’s new cases

Amid the ongoing effort to vaccinate the state’s population, Idaho’s COVID-19 test positivity rate has jumped a little, according to the most recent data from the Department of Health & Welfare.

The rate indicates the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive, and health experts target a rate of less than 5% to show good control over coronavirus spread. For the week of March 28-April 3, Idaho’s rate rose to 5.6%, the highest percentage since early February. Each of the previous two weeks saw a rate of 5.2%, according to updated data.

Idaho added 310 new cases on Thursday, 132 of which were recorded in Ada County (49,936 total). The county’s 7-day moving average rose to 93.4, its highest figure since Feb. 5. There were 24 cases added in Bonneville County (14,388), which saw a big spike in March, and Canyon County added 35 cases (25,841 total). Those three counties accounted for nearly 60% of the daily total.

The state also recorded nine new deaths, pushing the case fatality rate up to 1.09%. According to updated Health & Welfare demographic data, five of the new deaths were individuals older than 80, one was in their 70s and three were in their 60s.

In all, 1,989 Idahoans have died from COVID-19-related causes, and there have been 182,841 cases recorded in the state. There have been 102,457 estimated recoveries.

‘STILL IN THE TUNNEL’ ON VIRUS

As of Thursday, more than 822,000 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, and public health officials are urging Idahoans to keep taking precautions, including wearing masks and social distancing.

“If I’m asked ... to hold on a little longer, to social distance a little longer, to just be a little careful for my fellow men, dang it, I’m going to do that,” said Tommy Ahlquist, co-founder of Idaho’s Crush the Curve, in a video interview with the Statesman.

Ahlquist is a physician, real estate developer and former Republican candidate for governor. He and Dr. David Pate, former CEO and president of St. Luke’s, have participated in Statesman question-and-answer sessions online during the pandemic.

“We are getting to where we can see light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re still in the tunnel,” Pate said Thursday.

In addition to Ada, Canyon and Bonneville, the following counties added new cases Thursday: Bannock (6 new, 8,511 total), Benewah (2 new, 652 total), Bingham (11 new, 4,737 total), Blaine (8 new, 2,301 total), Boise (1 new, 331 total), Bonner (3 new, 3,128 total), Boundary (1 new, 848 total), Cassia (1 new, 2,915 total), Clearwater (2 new, 1,033 total), Custer (1 new, 243 total), Elmore (5 new, 1,828 total), Franklin (3 new, 1,162 total), Gem (1 new, 1,737 total), Jefferson (6 new, 2,889 total), Jerome (2 new, 2,544 total), Kootenai (20 new, 17,322 total), Latah (4 new, 2,965 total), Madison (15 new, 7,036 total), Minidoka (1 new, 2,316 total), Nez Perce (3 new, 3,507 total), Owyhee (1 new, 1,044 total), Payette (4 new, 2,474 total), Shoshone (1 new, 1,054 total), Teton (1 new, 1,178 total), Twin Falls (16 new, 9,215 total).

The nine deaths were spread out across Ada (2 new, 451 total), Bingham (1 new, 70 total), Blaine (1 new, 18 total), Bonneville (3 new, 164 total), Kootenai (1 new, 197 total) and Nez Perce (1 new, 53 total) counties.

KENYAN SCHOOL WITH IDAHO TIES SUFFERS OUTBREAK

While the number of vaccinated Idahoans and Americans ticks up every day, other parts of the world are facing a bleaker reality.

At a girls school for orphans in Kenya where students’ tuition is often funded by Idahoans, administrators are facing spikes in cases without the resources to protect people, according to a news release.

Caring Hearts High School was founded by Vincent Kituku, of Eagle, to combat the effects of AIDS/HIV and poverty in his native country. The school offers free tuition to high school-age girls who can’t afford it.

On March 2, an outbreak spread quickly until 87 girls, or half the student body, tested positive for COVID-19. Four employees tested positive and five people were hospitalized, according to the release.

Schools in Kenya reopened in January after being closed for much of 2020, and the East African country is facing its third wave of the pandemic. Even before the recent outbreak, students at the school have suffered strange symptoms.

“Even with daily temperature checks and all COVID-19 prevention measures followed, students, ages 14-19, complained of chest pains, breathing difficulties, and some just fainted,” Kituku said in the release.

Caring Hearts has faced increased expenses during the pandemic and still lacks basic COVID-19 supplies. It took a week for the students and staff to be tested, the release said.

Donations for the school can be made at caringheartsandhandsofhope.org.

DAILY DETAILS

Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 822,022, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 335,527 people have been fully vaccinated.

Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 7,710 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,317 admissions to the ICU and 10,162 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 April 7, the health system was reporting 27 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 477 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 6%.

Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of April 7, the health system was reporting 26 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 344 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 10.3%.

Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since March 30: Amity Elementary (2), Boise High (8), Borah High (1), Capital High (4), East Jr. High (1), Fairmont Jr. High (3), Hillside Jr. High (2), Mountain View Elementary (1), Pierce Park Elementary (1), Riverglen Jr. High (2), South Jr. High (3), Timberline High (3), Washington Elementary (1), White Pine Elementary (2), Whitney Elementary (1).

West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for March 26-April 8: Centennial High (3), Eagle High (6), Idaho Fine Arts Academy (1), Mountain View High (5), Rebound School of Opportunity (1), Eagle Middle (2), Lake Hazel Middle (1), Lewis and Clark Middle (1), Star Middle (1), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (1), Eagle Hills Elementary (2), Pepper Ridge Elementary (1), Pioneer School of the Arts (1), Siena Elementary (1), Star Elementary (1).

Total COVID-19 cases by county (confirmed + probable): Ada 49,936, Adams 333, Bannock 8,511, Bear Lake 371, Benewah 652, Bingham 4,737, Blaine 2,301, Boise 331, Bonner 3,128, Bonneville 14,388, Boundary 848, Butte 206, Camas 71, Canyon 25,841, Caribou 672, Cassia 2,915, Clark 59, Clearwater 1,033, Custer 243, Elmore 1,828, Franklin 1,162, Fremont 1,101, Gem 1,737, Gooding 1,291, Idaho 1,176, Jefferson 2,889, Jerome 2,544, Kootenai 17,322, Latah 2,965, Lemhi 516, Lewis 385, Lincoln 494, Madison 7,036, Minidoka 2,316, Nez Perce 3,507, Oneida 349, Owyhee 1,044, Payette 2,474, Power 651, Shoshone 1,054, Teton 1,178, Twin Falls 9,215, Valley 827, Washington 1,204.