8,000 negative coronavirus tests suddenly appear as Idaho gets ready to reopen
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare made a massive change to its coronavirus case data Tuesday, adding 8,188 returned tests in a single day — and nearly all of them negative.
Before Tuesday, IDHW had only included test results from the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories and commercial laboratories in its total. The increase in test results came from adding data from “hospital sites, clinic sites and other testing sites,” according to information posted on the IDHW website.
The new tests were reported on a day when only 19 new confirmed cases were announced, dramatically dropping the state’s positive percentage from 8.9% on Monday to 6.4% through Tuesday. Previously, the largest single-day return of tests was 1,391 on April 4. There were 20,052 returned tests as of Monday evening and a total of 28,240 just 24 hours later.
The positive testing percentage is one criteria the state will use to decide whether to proceed with Gov. Brad Little’s reopening plan beginning Friday.
IDHW didn’t immediately respond to a request for an explanation of the new testing data.
Ada and Nez Perce counties each reported one new coronavirus-related death on Tuesday, pushing Idaho’s statewide death toll to 60. The two counties lead the state with 16 COVID-19 deaths apiece. Twin Falls County is next with 11 deaths and Canyon County has six.
According to the Idaho North Central public health district’s website, the latest Nez Perce County death was a female over the age of 100. Boise-based Central District Health did not provide any information on the most recent Ada County fatality.
Thursday’s new confirmed cases were in Blaine (3 new, 487 total), Canyon (5 new, 232 total), Elmore (1 new, 27 total), Jerome (1 new, 38 total), Latah (1 new, 5 total), Minidoka (1 new, 8 total) and Twin Falls (7 new, 140 total) counties. The statewide confirmed case total is 1,812.
IDHW estimates that 1,087 cases are “recovered,” and there also are 142 “probable cases” throughout the state. There have been 173 hospitalizations, 73 admissions to the ICU and 244 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.
Idaho has community spread in 17 counties: Ada, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Owyhee, Madison, Payette, Teton and Twin Falls.
Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in 33 of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 624, Adams 3, Bannock 7, Bingham 4, Blaine 487, Bonner 4, Bonneville 17, Camas 1, Canyon 232, Caribou 1, Cassia 12, Custer 2, Elmore 27, Fremont 2, Gem 10, Gooding 8, Idaho 3, Jefferson 4, Jerome 38, Kootenai 61, Latah 5, Lemhi 1, Lincoln 22, Madison 6, Minidoka 8, Nez Perce 50, Owyhee 8, Payette 12, Power 2, Teton 8, Twin Falls 140, Valley 2 and Washington 1.
