Idaho’s COVID-19 week: Omicron variant identified in Idaho, positivity rate climbs
Idaho reported its first confirmed case of omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus, on Friday as it reported nearly 3,000 new COVID-19 cases over the past week and an increase in the test positivity rate.
Omicron was first detected in South Africa in November, and has since spread to over two dozen states. Idaho joined that group on Friday, when Central District Health confirmed a detected case in an Ada County resident.
The resident, who is over 50 years old, is fully vaccinated and has experienced “very mild symptoms” of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to Central District Health.
Scientists are racing to learn more about the new variant, which may spread faster than the delta variant, the highly infectious strain that led to an influx of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and prompted the activation of crisis standards of care at Idaho hospitals in September. Crisis standards, declared when the number of patients exceeds available resources, is still active in North Idaho.
So far, almost all of the identified omicron cases in the U.S. have caused mild illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDH and the CDC recommend that all adults get a booster dose for added protection 6 months after receiving the second shot of a two-dose vaccine or two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson shot. On Thursday, the Food & Drug Administration authorized booster doses for 16- and 17-year-olds who have received the Pfizer vaccine.
Positivity rate increases
For the first time since the week of Sept. 5, the test positivity rate in Idaho rose the week of Nov. 28. During the intervening 11 weeks, the rate had fallen or remained the same each week, according to data from Health and Welfare. That trajectory stopped in mid-November, when the rate sat at 6.9% for two consecutive weeks before rising to 7.1% the week of Nov. 28.
Public health officials target a positivity rate of 5% or less to indicate viral spread is not out of control. Nearly every county in the state is seeing high or substantial spread of COVID-19, according to the CDC.
In an email Dec. 3, Dr. Kathryn Turner, deputy state epidemiologist, said that current state metrics indicated a “plateauing” of positivity rates and cases reported.
The state added 2,852 new cases since last Friday and 59 deaths. Idaho also surpassed 1,000 COVID-19-related deaths at long-term care facilities this week, with 1,005 recorded since the start of the pandemic.
Since March 2020, there have been 13,711 COVID-19-related hospitalizations, 2,307 intensive care patients and 13,109 health care workers infected.
As of Dec. 6, there were 315 patients in Idaho hospitals with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 82 intensive care patients.
Long-term care update
As of Friday, Health and Welfare reports that there are 5,461 active coronavirus cases among 102 long-term care facilities. There are 249 facilities with resolved outbreaks.
To date, 1,005 people from 218 facilities in Idaho have died from COVID-19-related causes — six more than were reported last Friday. Long-term care deaths account for about 25% of the 4,028 in the state.
The most recent statistics from Health and Welfare show that 75.3% of Idahoans age 65 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Below is a list of Idaho cities along with the number of facilities in each city that have active cases among residents and/or staff. For an outbreak to be considered “resolved,” more than 28 days must pass (two incubation periods) without any additional cases associated with the facility.
American Falls (1), Ashton (1), Blackfoot (2), Boise (22), Bonners Ferry (3), Buhl (1), Caldwell (2), Chubbuck (2), Coeur d’Alene (10), Eagle (2), Emmett (1), Fruitland (1), Hayden (1), Idaho Falls (5), Kellogg (1), Kootenai (1), Kuna (2), Lewiston (3), McCall (1), Meridian (13), Middleton (1), Mountain Home (1), Nampa (3), Payette (1), Pinehurst (1), Pocatello (3), Post Falls (4), Rathdrum (1), Sandpoint (4), Silverton (1), St. Maries (1), Star (1), Twin Falls (3), Weiser (2), Winchester (1).
Weekly snapshot
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 2,048,606, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 872,788 people have been fully vaccinated, which accounts for 56.2% of Idahoans age 12 and older.
Test positivity rate: Out of the 29,752 COVID-19 tests conducted for the week of Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 7.1% came back positive.
For a full list of daily numbers on a county-by-county basis, visit our “What We Know” story. The Statesman will host a live virtual panel about omicron and COVID-19 in Idaho on Dec. 17.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 7:55 PM.
