More than 1% of Ada County has been infected with the coronavirus
Do you know 100 people? If you live in Ada County, there’s a decent chance that one of them has, or had, COVID-19.
As the coronavirus spread through Southwest Idaho this year, it set fire to Ada County — especially its most populous city, Boise.
Ada County had a total of 6,333 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, according to Idaho Statesman reporting. That is 1.3% of Ada County’s 482,000 residents.
Almost all of the cases have been confirmed by coronavirus testing; a few hundred were “probable” cases, such as sick family members of people who tested positive.
More than half of the cases — 3,647 — have been in Boise, according to Central District Health data. Another 1,365 have been among Meridian residents, and Idaho Department of Correction facilities have reported more than 676 cases so far, the CDH data show.
Thousands of Ada County’s residents tested positive in the past month, starting in mid-June after Gov. Brad Little moved Idaho into Stage 4 of reopening the state’s economy.
Soon after the surge began, Central District Health reverted Ada County to Stage 3. That change took effect June 23 and, among other things, meant bars had to close.
As the numbers continued to climb, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean issued a mask mandate that took effect July 4, requiring people to wear face coverings in shared public spaces.
The daily number of new cases in Ada County reached a peak of 345 on July 18, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting, and the numbers have since declined. Ada County on Friday reported 97 cases to lift its state-leading total to 6,333 total cases.
Central District Health’s data show that a huge share — more than 2,500 — of the cases in the region that includes Ada County were among people ages 18 to 29, followed by people in their 30s with more than 1,200 cases.
Those age groups make up about 9% of the region’s COVID-19 hospitalizations so far, and none of the deaths, the CDH data show.
