Every county in Idaho now has at least one confirmed case of the coronavirus
Idaho North Central District confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Lewis County on Wednesday. It was the last of 44 counties in the state to announce a case.
The infected individual in Lewis County — which includes the cities of Nezperce, Winchester, Craigmont and Reubens — is in their 80s, was not hospitalized and is recovering at home. The investigation into the case is in the preliminary stages, but it appears to be travel related, the health district said.
“COVID-19 cases continue to increase throughout our five-county region. Many residents live, work and play across county lines. This underscores the importance of each of us doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Idaho North Central District wrote in a press release.
“This includes wearing face coverings when in public, physically distancing, washing your hands more frequently, avoiding large gatherings and staying home if you are sick. Collectively, we can make a difference in the number of cases of disease in our communities if we commit to these simple strategies.”
Central District Health announced the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Ada County on March 13. Nearly five months later, every county in the state has at least one confirmed case of the virus.
The state’s seven health districts reported a combined 443 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and three new deaths Wednesday. The latest deaths were in Kootenai (2 new, 20 total) and Shoshone (1 new, 3 total) counties, according to Panhandle Health District.
Idaho has lost 251 residents to the virus, including 58 so far in the month of August. The case fatality rate is about 0.96%.
The Gem State has seen 24,442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. The state also reported 1,715 probable cases (70 new). Of the people infected, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare estimates that 9,850 have recovered.
As of Aug. 10, Health and Welfare reports there are currently 216 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Idaho, including 36 in intensive care.
The other counties adding new confirmed cases Wednesday were Ada (103 new, 8,860 total), Bannock (16 new, 440 total), Benewah (4 new, 67 total), Bear Lake (3 new, 26 total), Bingham (14 new, 311 total), Blaine (1 new, 564 total), Bonner (5 new, 182 total), Bonneville (58 new, 970 total), Boundary (1 new, 38 total), Canyon (90 new, 5,747 total), Elmore (1 new, 207 total), Fremont (2 new, 76 total), Gem (1 new, 163 total), Gooding (2 new, 154 total), Idaho (1 new, 32 total), Jefferson (5 new, 182 total), Jerome (12 new, 444 total), Kootenai (56 new, 1,893 total), Latah (6 new, 108 total), Lemhi (6 new, 32 total), Madison (3 new, 138 total), Minidoka (6 new, 457 total), Nez Perce (1 new, 145 total), Oneida (1 new, 13 total), Owyhee (2 new, 243 total), Payette (9 new, 378 total), Shoshone (8 new, 129 total), Teton (1 new, 76 total), Twin Falls (26 new, 1,328 total) and Valley (1 new, 62 total).
Central District Health removed one case from Boise County (39 total), and South Central Public Health District removed one case apiece from Cassia (484 total) and Lincoln (52 total) counties. These changes sometimes occur when an investigation results in a different address for a confirmed case than what was originally documented.
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 1,051 hospitalizations because of the coronavirus, 296 admissions to the ICU and 1,539 health care workers who have been infected. The 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 Aug. 11, the hospital was reporting a 14-day coronavirus testing positivity rate of 9%, with 56 patients currently hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 out of 492 patients overall.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Aug. 11, the hospital was reporting a 14-day coronavirus testing positivity rate of 22.5%, with 50 patients currently hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 out of 415 patients overall.
Testing totals: At the end of the day Wednesday, Health and Welfare reported that 212,898 tests had been completed statewide. About 11.5% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 8,860, Adams 19, Bannock 440, Bear Lake 26, Benewah 67, Bingham 311, Blaine 564, Boise 39, Bonner 182, Bonneville 970, Boundary 38, Butte 1, Camas 1, Canyon 5,747, Caribou 31, Cassia 484, Clark 10, Clearwater 16, Custer 10, Elmore 207, Franklin 46, Fremont 76, Gem 163, Gooding 154, Idaho 32, Jefferson 182, Jerome 444, Kootenai 1,893, Latah 108, Lemhi 32, Lewis 1, Lincoln 52, Madison 138, Minidoka 457, Nez Perce 145, Oneida 13, Owyhee 243, Payette 378, Power 64, Shoshone 129, Teton 76, Twin Falls 1,328, Valley 62 and Washington 203.
Counties with community spread: Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 6:54 PM.
