Coronavirus: Idaho sees record number of cases Thursday, prisons continue testing
The Idaho Department of Corrections continues to test dozens of staff and hundreds in their custody, and more positive cases continue to be added to its totals.
Over a dozen confirmed cases of people in prison without symptoms were added to IDOC’s numbers Thursday evening, bringing that total to 134. The number of those inmates with symptoms who tested positive remained at 18. As of Friday morning, the IDOC has 758 tests pending among inmates, and officials have conducted over 1,500 tests overall.
According to an update published online Thursday by IDOC director Josh Tewalt, six additional staff members tested positive. The positive staff work at facilities including prisons in Kuna — the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, the Idaho State Correctional Center and the Idaho State Correctional Institution. One staffer who works for the IDOC’s probation and parole District 5, which covers South Central Idaho, also tested positive.
IDOC was still awaiting results for more testing at ISCC as of Thursday evening. Two new non-symptomatic positive cases were found at the South Idaho Correctional Institution, which earlier this week discovered someone who recently left their custody had tested positive.
Three coronavirus deaths reported Thursday in Ada, Canyon counties
Local health officials reported three COVID-19 deaths in Idaho on Thursday, and all three were in the Treasure Valley.
Central District Health, based in Boise, reported two deaths Thursday in Ada County. Southwest District Health confirmed one death in Canyon County. The death total for each county now stands at 25 and 10, respectfully.
In addition to the reported deaths, health officials around Idaho reported a single-day record of 495 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. Ada County added 186 new cases, the most in the state reported Thursday. It marked seven straight days of 100 or more new cases in Ada, which now has 3,431 confirmed cases.
Canyon County was one short of breaking 100 new cases Thursday, and now has 1,569 confirmed cases. As of Thursday evening, Ada and Canyon counties account for over half of the state’s confirmed cases.
In North Idaho, the Panhandle Health District reported 97 new cases Thursday, a new high for the district. The bulk of the cases — 81 — were reported in Kootenai County, which has seen a growing number of cases throughout the week. Bonner County reported 13 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. PHD said in a news release that it could mandate rules on masks or roll back some areas into Stage 3 of reopening, similar to what has been done with Boise.
Elsewhere in Idaho, new cases were found in areas like Cassia, Gem, Jerome, Minidoka, Payette, Twin Falls and Washington, among other counties. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported 26 new “probable cases” bringing the total to 688 around the state.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in the majority of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 3,431, Adams 11, Bannock 131, Bear Lake 2, Benewah 15, Bingham 83, Blaine 533, Boise 7, Bonner 57, Bonneville 132, Boundary 2, Camas 1, Canyon 1,569, Caribou 19, Cassia 267, Clearwater 4, Custer 5, Elmore 79, Franklin 29, Fremont 9, Gem 39, Gooding 67, Idaho 11, Jefferson 16, Jerome 245, Kootenai 595, Latah 29, Lemhi 3, Lincoln 36, Madison 34, Minidoka 219, Nez Perce 95, Oneida 6, Owyhee 60, Payette 133, Power 19, Shoshone 8, Teton 27, Twin Falls 685, Valley 23 and Washington 120.
Community spread has been reported in 34 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
