This article was originally published by Jacob Scholl in the Idaho Statesman.
The Ada County Jail reported an uptick in new coronavirus cases within the facility on Friday.
The jail in Boise now has 239 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up from 224 that the Ada County Sheriff’s Office announced late last month, according to a blog post. That number is current up to Sept. 10.
Most of those people with the virus — 226 out of 239 — made it through the quarantine period and “no longer need COVID-19 precautions inside the jail or have been released,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office went on to say that the majority of people with the virus in the jail were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
Jail officials learned of the first positive test within its population on July 28 and have conducted testing since then. Every jail deputy and employee is screened for COVID-19 before starting their shift.
Ada County is not the only local jail to experience an outbreak of cases within its facility. Other outbreaks have been found at jails in Payette, Bonnevilleand Bannock counties.
IDAHO RITE AID LOCATIONS CAN NOW OFFER FLU SHOTS TO CHILDREN
In an effort to expand access for children, Rite Aid locations in Idaho are now authorized to give flu shots, as well as other recommended vaccines, to kids between the ages of 3-18, according to a news release from the drugstore chain.
The move is a result of a new amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The federal move comes shortly after Idaho Gov. Brad Little encouraged residents to get flu shots sooner rather than later to free up health care resources to continue fight the coronavirus in the coming months.
Rite Aid also offers coronavirus testing in locations in Boise, Meridian, Caldwell and McCall.
IDAHO REPORTS FEWER THAN 100 NEW COVID-19 CASES SUNDAY
Idaho’s seven health districts reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the second time in the past week.
The state added 88 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Last Monday, Labor Day, brought 57 new cases. Though Idaho is showing a downward trend on cases, the especially low numbers reflect a trend of some health districts not reporting new cases on weekends or holidays.
The county reporting the most cases Sunday was Bonneville, which added 24 confirmed cases to its total, which now stands at 1,817.
Just behind were Ada and Canyon counties, which reported 22 and 16 new cases, respectively. The three counties were the only places that reported double-digit case totals Sunday.
Idaho now has 32,834 confirmed coronavirus cases. No new fatalities were reported Sunday, as the state’s death total remains at 415 as of Sunday.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported 17 new “probable” cases, bringing that total to 2,773 cases. As of Saturday, 275,840 coronavirus tests have been taken, and around 11.9% of tests returned positive.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 11,039, Adams 25, Bannock 831, Bear Lake 42, Benewah 126, Bingham 705, Blaine 591, Boise 52, Bonner 239, Bonneville 1,817, Boundary 45, Butte 29, Camas 4, Canyon 7,240, Caribou 63, Cassia 543, Clark 21, Clearwater 25, Custer 47, Elmore 252, Franklin 66, Fremont 122, Gem 238, Gooding 213, Idaho 54, Jefferson 349, Jerome 599, Kootenai 2,336, Latah 263, Lemhi 54, Lewis 12, Lincoln 66, Madison 276, Minidoka 544, Nez Perce 347, Oneida 19, Owyhee 290, Payette 680, Power 182, Shoshone 207, Teton 123, Twin Falls 1,673, Valley 80, Washington 296.
