How many Idahoans are ‘presumed recovered’ after a confirmed coronavirus diagnosis?
For only the second time in the past 11 days, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare did not announce any new coronavirus-related deaths.
The statewide fatality count remained at 41 on Thursday, while the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 23 to 1,531.
With all seven of the state’s health districts reporting at least one update Thursday, there were additional cases announced in Ada (9 new, 550 total), Bingham (1 new, 3 total), Blaine (4 new, 467 total), Elmore (1 new, 19 total), Jerome (3 new, 35 total), Kootenai (1 new, 49 total), Nez Perce (2 new, 22 total) and Twin Falls (2 new, 89 total) counties.
There also are 81 “probable cases” of coronavirus throughout the state, according to IDHW.
South Central Public Health District announced that Jerome County has confirmed community spread. Idaho now has community transmission in 14 counties: Ada, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Madison, Payette, Teton and Twin Falls.
Health and Welfare added a new category to its website Thursday showing the number of “presumed recovered” cases statewide stands at 390. Those “presumed recovered” cases are defined as the number of people with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who are alive 30 days post-onset (or referral date if onset is not available) based upon total cases, deaths and any clinical info available, according to IDHW.
The Panhandle, Eastern Idaho and Southeastern Idaho public health districts were already reporting similar information. Those districts track cases that are “no longer monitored.”
Panhandle said it prefers not to use the term “recovered,” as it is unknown if a person can contract COVID-19 more than once. A person is considered no longer monitored when “they have stayed home for our recommended period of time and have not had a fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine), other symptoms have improved, and at least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared.”
Combined, those three districts report that 60 of their 99 cases are no longer monitored.
The number of COVID-19 test results returned has dropped by 38% the first four days of this week compared to the first four days of last week.
Both the state lab and one of the commercial labs that serves say that demand is down. The state lab tests high-priority samples such as hospitalized patients, long-term care patients, first responders and health care workers, according to Dr. Kathryn Turner, deputy state epidemiologist. It has seen less demand in recent days, Turner said.
Quest Diagnostics, which was among the first to start taking samples from Idaho patients, told The New York Times on Wednesday “that it could now process more tests than it was receiving, and that it was reaching out to state health departments, doctors and nursing homes. After dealing with backlogs for weeks, the company said it was returning results in less than two days for ordinary patients, and in less than one day for priority patients.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy our case numbers might differ from the state's
The Idaho Statesman is tabulating confirmed coronavirus cases from Idaho’s seven health districts as they’re reported. The health districts report cases on their own schedules — some issue press releases, some simply update totals on their websites. And the reports happen at various times throughout the day.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, meanwhile, updates its statewide numbers once a day at about 5 p.m. Its numbers only include the cases the health districts have reported directly to the department. In some cases, health districts have reported cases publicly but not to the department by the daily deadline.
We break out each day’s new cases by county and provide details on each case when available here.
Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 32 of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 550, Adams 1, Bannock 5, Bingham 3, Blaine 467, Bonner 4, Bonneville 16, Camas 1, Canyon 179, Caribou 1, Cassia 10, Custer 2, Elmore 19, Fremont 2, Gem 9, Gooding 6, Idaho 3, Jefferson 4, Jerome 35, Kootenai 49, Latah 3, Lincoln 15, Madison 5, Minidoka 6, Nez Perce 22, Owyhee 4, Payette 10, Power 2, Teton 6, Twin Falls 89, Valley 2 and Washington 1.
Health and Welfare reported 16,183 tests had been completed statewide at the end of the day Thursday. About 9.5% have been positive for COVID-19. There have been 148 hospitalizations, 51 admissions to the ICU and 187 health care workers who have been infected, according to IDHW. The hospital and health care numbers are based on cases with completed investigations into contacts, not the full number of positives.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 6:08 PM.
