Seven months into the coronavirus outbreak, Idaho set a pair of grim records Friday.
For the second straight week, Idaho logged a record number of new coronavirus cases. The state also reported a one-day record of 1,094 new cases.
Here’s the breakdown:
- The weekly peak: On Friday afternoon, the state and its seven health districts reported 52,250 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases, up 10 percent from last week. That adds up to a seven-day spike of 4,752 new cases. The previous peak, 4,017 cases, occurred a week ago.
- The daily peak: Friday marked the first time the state has reported more than 1,000 cases in one day. Idaho’s previous one-day record, 727 cases, occurred on July 15.
In other coronavirus headlines from the week:
Unrest in West Ada. The West Ada School District canceled classes for Monday, after more than 700 West Ada teachers planned a sickout to protest the district’s hybrid learning schedule. The state’s largest district plans to have 40,000 students in school every other day, even though the Central District Health department this week moved Ada County schools into the red, highest-risk category for coronavirus spread. Despite this move, CDH has recommended that hybrid learning can continue in Ada County.
Hybrid learning in Boise. Based on the CDH recommendations, junior high school and high school students will return to Boise classrooms on Monday, on an alternating schedule. Grade school students are already on a hybrid schedule.
Children’s case numbers rise rapidly. On Aug. 7, about 1,800 school-aged children tested positive for coronavirus, according to state data. This week, that number approached 4,400. That spike, correlating with the start of the school year, exceeds the state’s overall rate of increase in cases.
New K-12 school numbers. However, the number of new cases in K-12 schools dropped slightly this week, according to a Department of Health and Welfare report Friday. The state reported a minimum of 94 new K-12 cases, compared to a minimum of 103 a week ago. The hotspots: Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene and Northside Elementary School in Sandpoint, with six new cases each. (This report only includes schools with 50 or more students, and the case numbers also include teachers and staff.)
A warning from BYU-Idaho. University officials issued a stern warning to students Monday. Students who deliberately contract coronavirus in order to sell plasma containing virus antibodies face a possible suspension. “There is never a need to resort to behavior that endangers health or safety in order to make ends meet,” the university said in a statement.
This week’s numbers (and comparisons with last week):
Statewide data | Oct. 9 | Oct. 16 | Change, Oct. 3-9 | Change, Oct. 10-16 |
Cases, confirmed and probable | 47,498 | 52,250 | 4,017 | 4,752 |
Total cases, ages 0-4 | 818 | 875 | 54 | 57 |
Total cases, ages 5-12 | 1,543 | 1,705 | 131 | 162 |
Total cases, ages 13-17 | 2,557 | 2,804 | 257 | 247 |
Total cases, ages 18-29 | 13,490 | 14,856 | 944 | 1,366 |
Weekly cases, K-12 schools (minimum) | 103 | 94 | +52 | -9 |
Deaths | 506 | 523 | 32 | 17 |
Hospitalizations | 2,013 | 2,174 | 120 | 161 |
ICU admissions | 475 | 495 | 13 | 20 |
Estimated, patients recovered | 23,881 | 25,457 | 1,313 | 1,576 |
Idahoans tested | 330,962 | 348,518 | 16,520 | 17,556 |
Health care workers infected | 3,170 | 3,349 | 260 | 179 |
Positive test rate (based on all cases divided by testing numbers, as reported by the state) | 14.4 percent | 15.0 percent | +0.6 percentage points | +0.6 percentage points |
Top five counties, by total cases | Oct. 9 | Oct. 16 | New cases, Oct. 3-9 | New cases, Oct. 10-16 |
Ada | 14,138 | 14,913 | 795 | 775 |
Canyon | 8,724 | 9,102 | 349 | 378 |
Bonneville | 3,278 | 3,732 | 345 | 454 |
Kootenai | 3,004 | 3,277 | 214 | 273 |
Twin Falls | 2,813 | 3,220 | 360 | 407 |
County hotspots (weekly increase of more than 10 percent) | Oct. 9 | Oct. 16 | New cases, Oct. 3-9 | New cases, Oct. 10-16 |
Adams | 29 | 32 | 0 | 3 |
Bannock | 1,616 | 1,898 | 303 | 282 |
Bear Lake | 53 | 59 | 5 | 6 |
Bingham | 1,223 | 1,379 | 128 | 156 |
Bonneville | 3,278 | 3,732 | 345 | 454 |
Boundary | 68 | 89 | 9 | 21 |
Butte | 64 | 76 | 21 | 12 |
Caribou | 169 | 206 | 29 | 37 |
Cassia | 916 | 1,070 | 122 | 154 |
Clearwater | 97 | 120 | 34 | 23 |
Custer | 77 | 92 | 6 | 15 |
Franklin | 220 | 276 | 52 | 56 |
Fremont | 285 | 351 | 22 | 66 |
Gooding | 366 | 432 | 42 | 66 |
Idaho | 244 | 290 | 24 | 46 |
Jefferson | 715 | 828 | 74 | 113 |
Latah | 696 | 806 | 126 | 110 |
Lemhi | 132 | 168 | 21 | 34 |
Lewis | 52 | 64 | 16 | 12 |
Lincoln | 103 | 130 | 9 | 27 |
Madison | 1,301 | 1,903 | 368 | 602 |
Minidoka | 868 | 996 | 120 | 128 |
Nez Perce | 525 | 612 | 56 | 87 |
Oneida | 31 | 38 | 2 | 7 |
Teton | 222 | 256 | 27 | 34 |
Twin Falls | 2,813 | 3,220 | 360 | 407 |