COVID variants confirmed in East Idaho amid outbreak; state adds 338 cases, 5 deaths
Eastern Idaho Public Health said in a statement Monday that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare had confirmed the presence of two COVID-19 variant strains in the district: the B.1.1.7 variant, also called the U.K. variant, and the B.1.429 variant, also called the California variant.
It’s not clear how widespread the variants are or if they’re believed to play a role in the recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Idaho Public Health district. District officials directed the Statesman to Health and Welfare for more information, and a spokesperson for Health and Welfare had not responded at press time.
Both variants are more contagious than the original virus, according to the CDC.
A recent spate of COVID-19 cases landed the Idaho Falls and Rexburg metro areas (both in the Eastern Idaho Public Health district) on the New York Times’ list of worst outbreak areas in the country last week at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively. By Monday, Idaho Falls was still No. 1 on the list, and the average number of new daily cases in the area over the past two weeks had grown from about 55 per 100,000 people to 60.9, the Times reported. Rexburg fell to No. 7 though its average number of new daily cases decreased only slightly from 38.9 cases per 100,000 people to 38.5.
Health officials on Monday also reported 338 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 statewide, as well as five new COVID-19-related deaths.
One death was reported in each of the following counties: Ada (446 total), Canyon (286 total), Jerome (23 total), Kootenai (193 total) and Twin Falls (126 total). Health and Welfare reports 1,946 Idahoans have died of COVID-19.
The following counties reported new cases Monday: Ada (79 new, 48,426 total), Adams (1 new, 333 total), Bannock (19 new, 8,245 total), Bear Lake (2 new, 365 total), Benewah (1 new, 642 total), Bingham (19 new, 4,548 total), Blaine (3 new, 2,223 total), Bonner (7 new, 3,071 total), Bonneville (53 new, 13,608 total), Boundary (1 new, 837 total), Canyon (40 new, 25,303 total), Clearwater (1 new, 1,017 total), Elmore (14 new, 1,675 total), Franklin (3 new, 1,110 total), Fremont (3 new, 1,064 total), Gem (1 new, 1,713 total), Jefferson (9 new, 2,695 total), Jerome (1 new, 2,530 total), Kootenai (29 new, 17,047 total), Latah (4 new, 2,886 total), Lemhi (1 new, 515 total), Madison (23 new, 6,722 total), Nez Perce (7 new, 3,454 total), Payette (4 new, 2,423 total), Shoshone (5 new, 1,038 total), Twin Falls (7 new, 9,101 total), and Valley (1 new, 820 total).
Since last March, 177,758 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in Idaho. Nearly 100,000 people are presumed recovered.
South Central health district offering in-home vaccines
South Central Public Health District has partnered with the College of Southern Idaho’s Office on Aging and several local health care providers to offer in-home COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible Idahoans who are unable to leave their homes.
In a news release, the health district said hundreds of Idahoans use services for homebound individuals. Those people may not be able to leave their homes to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite being high-risk for health issues.
The Magic Valley Paramedic Community Health Emergency Medical Services (CHEMS) unit, Minidoka Memorial Hospital CHEMS unit, Shoshone Family Medical Center and Luke’s Pharmacy will bring vaccine doses to district residents who can’t leave home. Health officials said rollout dates will vary by county.
Residents can call the district’s COVID-19 hotline at 208-737-1138, or the CSI Office on Aging at 208-736-2122, for more information.
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 611,572, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 239,560 people have been fully vaccinated.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 7,438 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,277 admissions to the ICU and 9,871 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 March 21, the health system was reporting 31 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 438 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 4%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of March 21, the health system was reporting 18 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 337 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 8.1%.
Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since March 16: Borah High (2), North Jr. High (2), Owyhee Elementary (1), Valley View Elementary (1), Whittier Elementary (1).
West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for March 8-21: Centennial High (1), Eagle High (5), Meridian High (2), Rocky Mountain High (1), Eagle Middle (3), Lake Hazel Middle (2), Meridian Middle (2), Star Middle (1), Victory Middle (1), Barbara Morgan STEM Academy (2), Eagle Hills Elementary (1), Hillsdale Elementary (2), Pepper Ridge Elementary (1), Ponderosa Elementary (2), Siena Elementary (5).
Total COVID-19 cases by county (confirmed + probable): Ada 48,426, Adams 333, Bannock 8,245, Bear Lake 365, Benewah 642, Bingham 4,548, Blaine 2,223, Boise 318, Bonner 3,071, Bonneville 13,608, Boundary 837, Butte 201, Camas 71, Canyon 25,303, Caribou 631, Cassia 2,886, Clark 56, Clearwater 1,017, Custer 238, Elmore 1,675, Franklin 1,110, Fremont 1,064, Gem 1,713, Gooding 1,275, Idaho 1,168, Jefferson 2,695, Jerome 2,530, Kootenai 17,047, Latah 2,886, Lemhi 515, Lewis 383, Lincoln 489, Madison 6,722, Minidoka 2,304, Nez Perce 3,454, Oneida 337, Owyhee 1,031, Payette 2,423, Power 640, Shoshone 1,038, Teton 1,128, Twin Falls 9,101, Valley 820, Washington 1,191.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 8:04 PM.
