Record COVID-19 deaths reported this week as Idaho surpasses 100,000 confirmed cases
Idaho surpassed 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday, as the state also marked its deadliest week of the pandemic.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the state’s seven health districts reported 25 new deaths Friday, bringing the total number of Idaho deaths related to the coronavirus reported so far this week to a record 128.
On Friday, seven people from Ada County (283 total) and six people from Canyon County (176 total) were added to the death toll. Two more deaths were reported for Gem County (11 total) and Bannock County (44 total) and one each in Fremont (12 total), Owyhee (17 total), Payette (19 total), Bingham (33 total), Bonner (11 total), Idaho (15 total), Kootenai (100 total) and Twin Falls (105 total) counties.
One of the Bannock County deaths was a man in his 40s, according to a tweet from Southeastern Idaho Public Health.
Idaho has reported 1,169 COVID-19-related deaths. The case fatality rate is 0.98%.
IDHW and the health districts reported 1,230 new confirmed and 385 probable coronavirus cases Friday for a total of 1,615 new cases. A total of 100,260 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began in Idaho.
A total of 458 Idahoans were hospitalized Wednesday with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, and 104 of those patients were in the ICU. At least 4,719 Idahoans have required hospitalization for COVID since the beginning of the pandemic, and 871 have been admitted to the ICU. Seven children in Idaho have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare COVID-19 complication in children.
Ada County recorded 407 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday (26,715 total), Kootenai County recorded 192 (8,877 total) and Canyon County recorded 141 (15,856 total).
Eastern Idaho’s Bonneville County, which includes the city of Idaho Falls, and Bonner County in North Idaho also reported big jumps in COVID-19 cases, with Bonneville recording 82 new cases (6,860 total) and Bonner counting 47 new cases (1,178 total).
Other counties reporting new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday include: Adams (6 new, 108 total), Bannock (34 new, 3,282 total), Bear Lake (1 new, 172 total), Bingham (20 new, 2,054 total), Blaine (17 new, 1,355 total), Boise (5 new, 146 total), Boundary (4 new, 204 total), Cassia (21 new, 2,119 total), Clearwater (7 new, 576 total), Elmore (17 new, 815 total), Franklin (7 new, 616 total), Fremont (6 new, 743 total), Gem (23 new, 958 total), Gooding (7 new, 794 total), Idaho (4 new, 756 total), Jefferson (7 new, 1,420 total), Jerome (7 new, 1,689 total), Latah (19 new, 1,846 total), Lemhi (1 new, 382 total), Lewis (5 new, 237 total), Lincoln (1 new, 318 total), Madison (35 new, 4,346 total), Minidoka (10 new, 1,660 total), Nez Perce (34 new, 2,468 total), Oneida (6 new, 146 total), Payette (10 new, 1,534 total), Power (4 new, 396 total), Shoshone (11 new, 614 total), Teton (4 new, 448 total), Twin Falls (21 new, 6,000 total), Valley (3 new, 250 total) and Washington (4 new, 694 total).
National Guard again activated to help hospitals
Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced Friday that he authorized an increase of Idaho National Guard support from 100 to up to 250 personnel serving on active duty to support hospitals.
The guardsmen are being mobilized in an effort to enhance medical capacity and COVID-19 response throughout Idaho.
The authorization comes about a month after his executive order mobilizing 100 personnel for 30 days, the same day he rolled Idaho back into a modified Stage 2.
The new authorization allows Guard personnel to continue performing their mission through March.
For nearly a month, Guard members have been assisting at facilities across the state, from multiple hospital and medical clinic locations to food banks and public health district facilities, according to a news release from the governor.
The Guard members help with COVID-19 testing and screening, patient data entry, traffic control, and facility decontamination and sanitization.
“As medical providers across the state continue to call on the Guard for assistance, this additional authorization enables our guardsmen to continue helping in the fight,” Little said in the news release. “With members of the Guard performing these missions, it frees up health care workers to focus on providing critical patient care. We are deeply grateful for their service.”
Central District releases updated, shorter quarantine guidance
With options for asymptomatic testing still limited in Idaho and the Treasure Valley, Central District Health released updated guidance for shortened COVID-19 quarantine periods.
While 14 days of quarantine is still recommended as the best practice, people who are asymptomatic but are close contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 can instead isolate for either seven or 10 days.
Someone who was exposed, has no symptoms and doesn’t take a COVID-19 test can end isolation after the 10th day from the last day of close contact with a positive case.
Someone who was exposed, has no symptoms, and is able to obtain a diagnostic PCR test can end isolation after the seventh day and a negative PCR test. The test must be a PCR test and can be taken as early as five days after exposure. But quarantine can only end if the negative test result is available and the person has still not developed symptoms.
The new guidance is in line with recently updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Regardless of what scenario is followed, Central District Health says symptom monitoring, masking, hand hygiene, and physical distancing must continue through Day 14. If at any time an individual develops symptoms during the 14 days after exposure to an individual who tested positive, they should isolate and seek testing.
New cases reported on Boise State campus
Boise State University reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on campus this week, with 16 faculty or staff members, five residential students and 20 off-campus students testing positive.
Overall, 1,032 people affiliated with Boise State have tested positive for the coronavirus since Aug. 15, including 102 faculty and staff, 255 residential students and 675 off-campus students.
On Friday, the Boise State women’s basketball team postponed its game at BYU because of a case in the Broncos program.
Last day for Idaho Medicaid providers to apply for federal funding
Next Friday, Dec. 18, is the last day Idaho Medicaid providers can apply for federal funding from the Medicaid Provider CFAC Stabilization Funding Opportunity, according to a press release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
The program allows providers enrolled in Idaho Medicaid and who receive 20% or more of their revenue from Idaho Medicaid to apply for part of the federal funds Idaho received to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second round of applications to be accepted.
“A few providers have emailed after receiving their checks, letting us know the funding helps,” said Matt Wimmer, DHW division administrator for Medicaid. “One provider called it an ‘unexpected blessing.’ We hope to see more applications for more opportunities to provide some relief.”
The one-page application to apply is due by 5 p.m. Dec. 18.
Long-term care update
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare released its weekly update on COVID-19 in care facilities Friday.
Outbreaks at Idaho facilities increased by four to 287 overall, total individual cases jumped by 605 (6,721 total) and deaths rose by 29 to 487, with seven facilities recording their first death.
Active cases increased to 5,817 at 216 facilities — up from 5,295 at 216 facilities last week. There are 71 facilities with resolved outbreaks.
Below is a list of long-term care facilities by city that have active cases of the coronavirus:
American Falls: Edgewood Spring Creek American Falls, Power County Nursing Home; Ammon: Promontory Point Rehabilitation, Crystal Creek Assisted Living, Gables Assisted Living of Ammon; Ashton: Ashton Memorial Living Center; Bellevue: Cove of Cascadia; Bingham: Gables Assisted Living of Blackfoot II; Blackfoot: Syringa Chalet Nursing Facility, Gables Assisted Living of Blackfoot 1, Willows Retirement & Assisted Living, Gem Village Assisted Living, Bingham Memorial Skilled Nursing;
Boise: Terraces of Boise, Edgewood Spring Creek-Overland, Cascadia of Boise, Garden Plaza of Valley View-Valley View Nursing & Rehab, Garden Plaza of Valley View-The Bridge at Valley View, Overland Court Senior Living, Willow Park Senior Living, Arbor Village at Hillcrest, Arbor Valley of Cascadia, Edgewood Castle Hills, Shaw Mountain of Cascadia, State Veterans Home-Boise, Independent Living Services Freedom, MorningStar Senior Living of Boise, Edgewood Spring Creek Memory Care-Five Mile, Edgewood Plantation Place, Ashley Manor-Cloverdale, Regency Columbia Village, Communicare No. 3 Pond, Grace Assisted Living at Englefield Green, Ashley Manor-Cory Lane (formerly AarenBrooke Place), Cottages of Boise, Life Care of Treasure Valley, Grace Assisted Living at State St., Boise Group Home No. 1 Pennfield, Avamere Transitional Care, Riverview Rehabilitation, Boise Group Home Np. 3 Holt, Boise Group Home No. 2 Molly Court, Boise Group Home No. 4 Eshelman, Park Place Assisted Living of Boise, Ashley Manor-Harmony, Good Samaritan Society-Boise Village, Trinity Assisted Living, Grace Memory Care, Edgewood-Ustick;
Bonners Ferry: Boundary County Nursing Home, Community Restorium, Sunset Home Assisted Living; Bonneville: New Beginnings Community Living; Buhl: River Rock Assisted Living, Evergreen Place Assisted Living, Autumn Breeze; Burley: Mini Cassia Care Center, Parke View Rehab, Diamond Peak of Burley, Highland Estates; Caldwell: Autumn Wind, Canyon West of Cascadia, Lenity Senior Living, Caldwell Care of Cascadia, Grace Assisted Living Caldwell, Gables Assisted Living of Caldwell; Chubbuck: Brookdale Chubbuck, Ashley Manor-Hawthorne; Coeur d’Alene: Lacrosse Health & Rehab, Advanced Health Care of Coeur d’Alene, Life Care Center of Coeur d’Alene, Ivy Court, Coeur d’Alene Health and Rehab of Cascadia, Courtyard at Coeur d’Alene, Rose Terrace Cottages, Legends Park Assisted Living, Renaissance at Coeur d’Alene, Garden at Orchard Ridge, Bristol Heights Assisted Living, Brookdale Coeur d’Alene;
Darlington: Antelope Creek Living Center; Eagle: Edgewood Spring Creek Eagle Island, Foxtail Senior Living, Paramount Parks; Emmett: River’s Edge Rehab, Meadow View Assisted Living, Apple Valley Residence; Gooding: Bennett Hills Rehab & Care Center; Grangeville: Meadowlark Homes, Grangeville Health & Rehab Center; Hagerman: Stonebridge Assisted Living of Hagerman; Hailey: Silvercreek Assisted Living; Hayden: Wellspring Meadows, Harmony House Assisted Living, Peterson Place Assisted Living, Maplewood Assisted Living; Homedale: Owyhee Health & Rehab; Idaho Falls: Life Care Center of Idaho Falls, Yellowstone Group Home No. 1, Teton Post-Acute Care and Rehab, Fairwinds-Sand Creek, Good Samaritan-Idaho Falls Village, Parkwood Meadows, Lincoln Court Retirement Community, Broadway Fields Assisted Living, Turtle and Crane Assisted Living, Broadway Hills, MorningStar of Idaho Falls, Tambree Meadows Assisted Living;
Jerome: Creekside Care Center, Desano Place Assisted Living; Kellogg: Mountain Valley of Cascadia; Kimberly: Oak Creek, Alpine Manor; Kootenai: Hearthstone Village; Kuna: Swan Falls Assisted Living, Communicare No. 5 Kuna; Lewiston: Prestige-The Orchards, Life Care Center of Lewiston, Advanced Health Care of Lewiston, Lewiston Transitional Care of Cascadia, Brookdale Lewiston, State Veterans Home-Lewiston, Guardian Angel Homes Lewiston, Pleasant Valley Shelter Home, Wedgewood Terrace, Royal Plaza-Lewiston; Malad: Oneida Long Term Care Facility; McCall: McCall Rehab and Care Center; Meridian: Creekside Transitional Care, Touchmark at Meadow Lake Village, Edgewood Spring Creek Meridian, Golden Years Oak Crest, Veranda Senior Living-Paramount, Grace Assisted Living-Fairview Lakes, Trinity at 1st Street, Meridian Meadows, Alpine Meadows Assisted Living, Harmony Hills, Golden Years Kimra, Tomorrow’s Hope-Deb;
Montpelier: Bear Lake Memorial Skilled Nursing; Moscow: Good Samaritan Society-Moscow Village, Aspen Park of Cascadia; Mountain Home: Country Living Retirement of Mountain Home, Cottages of Mountain Home; Nampa: Meadow View Nursing & Rehab, Streamside Assisted Living, Grace Assisted Living-Nampa, Karcher Estates, Sunny Ridge (Skilled Nursing), Cascadia of Nampa, Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, Orchards of Cascadia, Wellspring of Cascadia, Park Place Assisted Living, Heron Place, Communicare No. 1 Gem; Orofino: Clearwater Health & Rehab of Cascadia, Brookside Landing; Payette: Payette Healthcare of Cascadia; Pocatello: Brookdale Pocatello, Caring Hearts Assisted Living, State Veterans Home-Pocatello, Independence Home, Elegant Residential Living, Monte Vista Hills, Gables of Pocatello 1, Copper Summit Assisted Living, Pocatello Assisted Living Center-Willard House, Diamond Peak of Pocatello, Quail Ridge, Gateway Transitional Care Center, Gables Assisted Living of Pocatello II, Quinn Meadows Rehab & Care Center;
Post Falls: Guardian Angel Homes, The Lodge at Riverside Harbor, Life Care of Post Falls, The Bridge at Post Falls; Preston: Franklin County Transitional Care, Heritage Senior Living; Rathdrum: Generations Assisted Living; Rexburg: Temple View Transitional Care, Homestead Assisted Living Rexburg, Briarwood Assisted Living; Rigby: Rigby Country Living Center, The Wildflower of Rigby; Rupert: Autumn Haven Assisted Living, Vista Assisted Living (now Etosha Assisted Living); Salmon: Discovery Rehab and Living; Sandpoint: Life Care Center of Sandpoint, Luther Park at Sandpoint, Valley Vista Care-Sandpoint; Shelley: Diamond Peak of Shelley; Shoshone: Lincoln County Care Center, Desano Place Shoshone; Soda Springs: Caribou Memorial Living Center;
St. Anthony: Homestead Assisted Living-St. Anthony; St. Maries: Valley Vista Care-St. Maries; Twin Falls: Brookdale Twin Falls, Serenity Transitional Care, Chardonnay Assisted Living, Twin Falls Care of Cascadia, Heritage Assisted Living, Ashley Manor-Parkview, The Canyons Retirement Community, Clear Creek Home, Campus View Home, Blake View Home, Willow Place Assisted Living, Rosetta of Twin Falls, Hillcrest Home, Cenoma House, Bridgeview Estates; Weiser: Weiser Care of Cascadia; Wendell: Stonebridge Assisted Living of Wendell; Winchester: Lakeside Assisted Living.
Daily Details
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 4,719 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 871 admissions to the ICU and 5,797 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 Dec. 10, the health system was reporting 125 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 472 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 17%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Dec. 10, the health system was reporting 99 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 392 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 26.8%.
Boise School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff since Dec. 1: District Services (5), DTEC (1), Frank Church High School (2), Hawthorne Elementary (2), Liberty Elementary (2), Lowell Elementary (1), Monroe Elementary (1), Pierce Park Elementary (1), Riverglen Junior High (1), South Jr. High (1), Taft Elementary (2), Trail Wind Elementary (1), Whitney Elementary (2).
West Ada School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff for Nov. 28-Dec. 11: Centennial High (21), Central Academy (1), Eagle Academy (5), Eagle High (18), Idaho Fine Arts (2), Meridian Academy (2), Meridian High (29), Mountain View High (30), Renaissance High (11), Rocky Mountain High (39), Crossroads Middle (2), Eagle Middle (8), Heritage Middle (12), Lake Hazel Middle (13), Lewis and Clark Middle (11), Lowell Scott Middle (7), Meridian Middle (8), Pathways Middle (2), Sawtooth Middle (10), Star Middle (5), Victory Middle (5), Barbara Morgan STEM (6), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (2), Chaparral Elementary (1), Chief Joseph School of the Arts (5), Christine Donnell (5), Desert Sage Elementary (4), Discovery Elementary (3), Eagle Hills Elementary (2), Eliza Hart Spalding STEM (1), Frontier Elementary (1), Galileo STEM Academy (2), Hillsdale Elementary (3), Hunter Elementary (3), Joplin Elementary (1), Lake Hazel Elementary (1), Mary McPherson (1), Meridian Elementary (4), Paramount Elementary (3), Pioneer School of the Arts (3), Pleasant View Elementary (2), Ponderosa Elementary (4), Prospect Elementary (4), Seven Oaks Elementary (1), Siena Elementary (3), Silver Sage Elementary (2), Star Elementary (1), Summerwind STEM Academy (1), Ustick Elementary (1), Willow Creek Elementary (3).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Thursday, Health and Welfare reported that 502,070 people had been tested statewide. About 20% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 26,715, Adams 108, Bannock 3,282, Bear Lake 172, Benewah 294, Bingham 2,054, Blaine 1,355, Boise 146, Bonner 1,178, Bonneville 6,860, Boundary 204, Butte 116, Camas 42, Canyon 15,856, Caribou 269, Cassia 2,119, Clark 43, Clearwater 576, Custer 151, Elmore 815, Franklin 616, Fremont 743, Gem 958, Gooding 794, Idaho 756, Jefferson 1,420, Jerome 1,689, Kootenai 8,877, Latah 1,846, Lemhi 382, Lewis 237, Lincoln 318, Madison 4,346, Minidoka 1,660, Nez Perce 2,468, Oneida 146, Owyhee 713, Payette 1,534, Power 396, Shoshone 614, Teton 448, Twin Falls 6,000, Valley 250, Washington 694.
