Continuing a long plateau, Idaho’s new coronavirus case numbers were virtually unchanged this week.
As of Friday afternoon, the state and its seven health districts reported 183,240 confirmed or probable coronavirus cases, a 1.1 percent weekly increase.
The week’s 1,955 new cases were down just slightly from the previous week. Weekly case numbers have hovered at or around 2,000 since February.
One demographic shift worth noting: Case numbers for preschoolers and school-aged children increased by more than 40 percent during the week — mirroring a recent case increase in the K-12 system.
One other big trend from the week: Vaccination numbers rebounded, increasing by 17 percent. As of Friday, at least a half a million Idahoans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Gov. Brad Little is urging Idahoans to get vaccinated, but on Wednesday, he signed an executive order banning state government from requiring so-called “vaccine passports.”
In other coronavirus headlines from the week:
Back in session. On Tuesday, the Legislature returned to session after an 18-day recess forced by a Statehouse coronavirus outbreak. The Capitol COVID-19 cluster affected at least 14 people in four of the state’s seven health districts, Audrey Dutton of Idaho Capital Sun reported Thursday.
Extra help for schools. The State Board of Education approved $11.8 million to help some cash-strapped school districts get through the final three months of the budget year. The money crunch came after legislators decided to withhold tens of millions of dollars of federal coronavirus stimulus funding until the 2021-22 budget year, which begins July 1.
A hybrid holdout. Nearly every school district in Idaho has returned to full, in-person learning. The McCall-Donnelly School District is the outlier — and it will stick with a hybrid schedule through the rest of the school year.
Mass vaccinations at Boise State. A daylong vaccination effort brought nearly 900 people to Boise State University’s ExtraMile Arena Saturday. With vaccinations now available to all Idahoans over age 16, colleges and universities are focusing more of their attention to campus vaccinations.
Here are this week’s numbers, and comparisons with the previous week:
Statewide data | April 2 | April 9 | Change, March 27-April 2 | Change, April 3-9 |
Cases, confirmed and probable | 181,285 | 183,240 | 1,991 | 1,955 |
Deaths | 1,967 | 1,993 | 12 | 26 |
Patients ever hospitalized | 7,601 | 7,722 | 79 | 121 |
Patients ever admitted to ICU | 1,303 | 1,320 | 15 | 17 |
Idahoans vaccinated | 466,384 | 518,450 | 49,260 | 52,066 |
Idahoans fully vaccinated | 298,650 | 345,228 | 39,902 | 46,578 |
Vaccine doses administered | 748,506 | 838,855 | 77,431 | 90,349 |
Total tests administered | 1,194,162 | 1,213,463 | 18,651 | 19,301 |
Health care workers infected | 10,067 | 10,175 | 99 | 108 |
Patients recovered, estimated | 101,115 | 102,697 | 1,022 | 1,582 |
Total cases, ages 0-4 | 2,732 | 2,794 | 43 | 62 |
Total cases, ages 5-12 | 6,837 | 6,979 | 103 | 142 |
Total cases, ages 13-17 | 10,420 | 10,588 | 118 | 168 |
Total cases, ages 18-29 | 45,068 | 45,677 | 452 | 609 |
Weekly positive test rate, as reported by the state: 5.6 percent for week ending April 3, up from 5.2 percent the previous week.
Top 10 counties, by total cases | April 2 | April 9 | New cases, April 3-9 | New cases per day, per 100,000 population |
Ada | 49,395 | 50,044 | 649 | 19.2 |
Canyon | 25,670 | 25,879 | 209 | 13.0 |
Kootenai | 17,243 | 17,349 | 106 | 9.1 |
Bonneville | 14,194 | 14,420 | 226 | 27.1 |
Twin Falls | 9,152 | 9,232 | 80 | 13.2 |
Bannock | 8,456 | 8,521 | 65 | 10.6 |
Madison | 6,904 | 7,047 | 143 | 51.4 |
Bingham | 4,689 | 4,758 | 69 | 21.1 |
Nez Perce | 3,485 | 3,511 | 26 | 9.2 |
Bonner | 3,106 | 3,136 | 30 | 9.4 |
Ten hotspot counties (most daily cases, per 100,000 population) | April 2 | April 9 | New cases,
April 3-9 |
New cases per day, per 100,000 population |
Madison | 6,904 | 7,047 | 143 | 51.4 |
Caribou | 660 | 676 | 16 | 31.9 |
Jefferson | 2,844 | 2,902 | 58 | 27.7 |
Bonneville | 14,194 | 14,420 | 226 | 27.1 |
Elmore | 1,793 | 1,841 | 48 | 24.9 |
Blaine | 2,272 | 2,309 | 37 | 23.0 |
Bingham | 4,689 | 4,758 | 69 | 21.1 |
Ada | 49,395 | 50,044 | 649 | 19.2 |
Latah | 2,922 | 2,975 | 53 | 18.9 |
Teton | 1,166 | 1,181 | 15 | 17.6 |