This article was originally published by Rachel Roberts in the Idaho Statesman.
After four days without a coronavirus-related death, Idaho added 14 fatalities Tuesday that were spread across eight counties.
It is the largest increase the state has seen in nearly a month and brings the overall death toll to 1,842. Idaho’s case fatality rate is about 1.08%.
The latest deaths from COVID-19 were added in Ada (2 new, 430 total), Bannock (2 new, 95 total), Bonner (1 new, 31 total), Canyon (4 new, 275 total), Gem (2 new, 32 total), Kootenai (1 new, 175 total), Owyhee (1 new, 25 total) and Twin Falls (1 new, 122 total) counties.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the state’s seven public health districts reported 206 new confirmed cases and 63 probable cases, for a total of 269 Tuesday. Idaho’s seven-day moving average caseload has stayed below 400 for nine consecutive days and currently stands at 269.9 per day.
More than half of Tuesday’s confirmed cases were dispersed between three counties: Ada (58 new, 39,453 total), Bonneville (34 new, 8,779 total) and Canyon (22 new, 20,850 total).
The other counties adding confirmed cases were Bannock (6 new, 4,650 total), Benewah (2 new, 460 total), Bingham (7 new, 2,539 total), Blaine (1 new, 1,938 total), Boise (1 new, 231 total), Bonner (4 new, 2,398 total), Boundary (1 new, 407 total), Butte (1 new, 162 total), Cassia (2 new, 2,434 total), Custer (1 new, 178 total), Elmore (3 new, 1,241 total), Franklin (2 new, 853 total), Fremont (2 new, 877 total), Gem (1 new, 1,328 total), Jefferson (11 new, 1,783 total), Kootenai (9 new, 14,662 total), Latah (15 new, 2,520 total), Lemhi (2 new, 400 total), Madison (6 new, 5,488 total), Minidoka (1 new, 1,896 total), Nez Perce (3 new, 3,046 total), Shoshone (1 new, 943 total), Twin Falls (10 new, 6,976 total) and Washington (2 new, 847 total).
Health and Welfare removed one case each from Gooding (910 total) and Owyhee (877 total) counties. Cases are sometimes removed when an investigation determines an individual’s residence is in another county, health district or state.
To date, Idaho has reported 138,100 confirmed cases and 31,859 probable cases. Of those, Health and Welfare estimates 92,859 have recovered.
PROOF OF RESIDENCY REQUIRED FOR VACCINE
Anyone seeking a COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho must either live or work in the state, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday.
“Vaccine is being allocated to the states based on population numbers, and that means it’s based on the number of people who live in each state,” IDHW Director Dave Jeppesen said in a news release. “Given the limited number of doses Idaho is receiving, we want to make sure Idahoans who live or work here have as much access to the vaccine as possible so we can stop the spread of COVID-19 in our state.”
Regardless of citizenship or immigration status, individuals who register for vaccines with any provider in Idaho will be asked to provide one of the following: a driver’s license or work or school ID; a letter with the person’s name and address; a utility bill with the person’s name; a voucher from an employer, faith-based institution, health care provider, school, or other registered organization or agency that shows the person lives or works in Idaho.
DAILY DETAILS
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 316,433, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 121,889 people have received only their first dose.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 7,033 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,227 admissions to the ICU and 9,460 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 Feb. 22, the health system was reporting 21 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 5%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Feb. 22, the health system was reporting 30 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 315 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 9.2%.
Testing totals: Health and Welfare reported that 633,858 people had been tested statewide. About 21.8% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Boise School District: Reported confirmed cases since Feb. 16: Boise High (1), Borah High (3), Capital High (2), Fairmont Jr. High (1), Frank Church High (1), Hillside Jr. High (1), Les Bois Jr. High (1), North Jr. High (1), Riverglen Jr. High (2), Riverside Elementary (1), Roosevelt Elementary (1), South Jr. High (1), Timberline High (1), West Junior High (6), Whittier Elementary (1).
West Ada School District: Reported confirmed cases for Feb. 9-22: Centennial High (3), Eagle High (1), Meridian High (1), Renaissance High (1), Rocky Mountain High (3), Pathways Middle (1), Victory Middle (1), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (1), Peregrine Elementary (1), Prospect Elementary (1).
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 39,453, Adams 251, Bannock 4,650, Bear Lake 250, Benewah 460, Bingham 2,539, Blaine 1,938, Boise 231, Bonner 2,398, Bonneville 8,779, Boundary 407, Butte 162, Camas 52, Canyon 20,850, Caribou 330, Cassia 2,434, Clark 44, Clearwater 747, Custer 178, Elmore 1,241, Franklin 853, Fremont 877, Gem 1,328, Gooding 910, Idaho 879, Jefferson 1,783, Jerome 1,952, Kootenai 14,662, Latah 2,520, Lemhi 400, Lewis 276, Lincoln 370, Madison 5,488, Minidoka 1,896, Nez Perce 3,046, Oneida 220, Owyhee 877, Payette 1,890, Power 457, Shoshone 943, Teton 615, Twin Falls 6,976, Valley 641, Washington 847.
