CDC has new mask guidelines, updates COVID-19 risk by county. Where does Idaho stand?
Updated methods for calculating the risks of COVID-19 in a community have changed federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on mask wearing in Idaho and across the U.S.
Previous guidelines for much of the pandemic recommended that Idahoans in nearly every part of the state wear masks indoors, but the new advice is that facial coverings may not be needed in large portions of the state.
By the new metrics, Southwest Idaho and Bonner County have high risk levels, and masks are still recommended there, according to CDC graphics. Southeast Idaho and most of North Idaho are at medium risk level, while a large swath of Central Idaho has low levels.
Ada, Canyon, Elmore and Gem counties are all still facing high levels of risk, and indoor mask use is still recommended for the Boise area. None of those counties have mask mandates in place.
The risk calculations now take into account the number of hospital beds in use, the number of hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in a certain area. Previously, the CDC’s guidelines concerned only case levels.
In Idaho, close to every county has experienced high or substantial transmission of the virus for many months, according to previous CDC graphics.
The CDC calculates the community risk in every U.S. county, and the new guidelines, announced Friday, recommend that the general population wear masks indoors when the risk in a county is labeled high. People at high risk for severe illness, such as those who are immunocompromised, are advised to talk to a doctor about mask use.
In addition to masking, health officials recommend that residents in areas at high risk stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, get tested if they have symptoms and take additional precautions if they are at high risk for severe illness.
In areas with medium risk, people with substantial risk of severe illness should talk to a doctor about whether they should wear a mask or take other precautions, and should stay up to date on their vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms.
“We must focus our metrics beyond just cases in the community and direct our efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness and preventing COVID-19 from overwhelming our hospitals and our health care systems,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said during a Friday press briefing.
As recently as mid-February, many parts of Southern Idaho were in crisis standards of care, which allowed hospitals to ration care if there were insufficient resources. State health officials have said in recent weeks that the situation at many hospitals is still strained, but the crisis standards have been deactivated.
The state’s test positivity rate has fallen for four straight weeks and is down to 10%.
Large portions of the U.S. are currently at low or medium risk, after the omicron wave swept across the nation.
Health officials have long stressed that high-quality masks help reduce the chances of spreading COVID-19. Despite the new guidelines, residents can still choose to wear masks at any time for added protection, and health officials say people with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to COVID-19 should also wear one.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 3:43 PM.
