IDAHO — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is continuing to see encouraging trends regarding COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations but says we are not in the clear yet.
"With the declining hospitalization numbers I do believe we are on a path to exit crisis standard of care, however, I do not have a time frame for when that may happen," Dave Jeppesen, DHW Director said. "That decision will be made when the surge of patients being driven by COVID-19 no longer exceeds the healthcare resources available."
According to DHW, COVID-19 testing positivity rates declined to 9.2 percent this past week, marking the eighth straight week that Idaho has seen a decline, but it still remains above the target of five percent.
The same is true for the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, which remain high but are continuing to trend downward. According to DHW, Idaho saw 370 COVID-19 patients in the hospital last week, 117 COVID-19 ICU patients, and 63 COVID-19 patients on ventilators, and those numbers are continuing to decrease.
To exit the crisis standard of care, DHW is encouraging everyone to do their part. That means getting your family vaccinated, including the newly eligible ages of 5-11.
