Idaho creeps closer to 700 mark in daily COVID-19 case rate as state adds 400-plus
Idaho again set a new record high seven-day moving average for coronavirus cases as health officials reported more than 400 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, as well as 89 probable cases on Sunday.
It’s the fourth day in a row that Idaho has reached a new record seven-day moving average, which denotes the average number of new cases reported daily over the last seven days. On Sunday, that number reached 680, topping Saturday’s record of 670. The average was 621 last Sunday.
Nine of Idaho’s 44 counties reported double-digit numbers of new cases Sunday. Bonneville County, home to Idaho Falls, reported the most new cases with 92. That brings the county’s total to 3,111 cases since March 13. Neighboring Madison County added 65 cases, bringing its total COVID-19 infections to 1,728. In the last week, the county has added more than 400 cases.
Ada County reported the second-highest number of new cases: 87. Since the pandemic began, 13,508 people in Ada County have contracted COVID-19. Canyon County reported 25 new cases, bringing its total to 8,560.
Other counties that reported double-digit cases were: Cassia (37 new, 1,055 total), Jefferson (11 new, 699 total), Kootenai (19 new, 3,242 total), Minidoka (21 new, 966 total) and Twin Falls (29 new, 2,907 total).
Officials subtracted three cases in Power County, bringing the county’s total to 290.
The following counties also reported new cases on Sunday: Bear Lake (1 new, 59 total), Blaine (1 new, 769 total), Bonner (4 new, 392 total), Elmore (3 new, 335 total), Fremont (1 new, 325 total), Gem (1 new, 335 total), Gooding (2 new, 358 total), Jerome (7 new, 838 total), Owyhee (1 new, 332 total), Payette (1 new, 928 total) and Shoshone (1 new, 227 total).
No new deaths were reported Sunday, leaving the state death toll at 532.
There have been 47,283 confirmed cases reported since the start of the pandemic along with 5,917 probable cases. Health and Welfare estimates 25,980 people have recovered from the virus.
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 2,206 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 504 admissions to the ICU and 3,395 health care workers infected. 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 Oct. 17, the health system was reporting 57 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 412 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 11%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Oct. 17, the health system was reporting 32 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 326 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 12.5%.
Boise School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff since Oct. 6: Amity Elementary (1), Boise Online School (1), Cynthia Mann Elementary (2), district services (2), Frank Church High School (2), Hidden Springs Elementary (1), Hawthorne Elementary (1), Koelsch Elementary (1), North Junior High (1), Riverside Elementary (1), Roosevelt Elementary (1), Valley View Elementary (1), White Pine Elementary (2), Whitney Elementary (1).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Sunday, Health and Welfare reported that 353,190 people had been tested statewide. About 13.4% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with community spread: All counties except Adams have been announced to have community spread.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 13,508, Adams 30, Bannock 1,457, Bear Lake 59, Benewah 161, Bingham 1,134, Blaine 769, Boise 60, Bonner 392, Bonneville 3,111, Boundary 57, Butte 68, Camas 31, Canyon 8,560, Caribou 163, Cassia 1,055, Clark 33, Clearwater 104, Custer 83, Elmore 335, Franklin 246, Fremont 325, Gem 335, Gooding 358, Idaho 275, Jefferson 699, Jerome 838, Kootenai 3,242, Latah 782, Lemhi 145, Lewis 62, Lincoln 107, Madison 1,728, Minidoka 966, Nez Perce 573, Oneida 35, Owyhee 332, Payette 928, Power 290, Shoshone 227, Teton 230, Twin Falls 2,907, Valley 99, Washington 384.
This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 6:33 PM.
