This article was originally published by Ruth Brown in the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho recorded 993 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday and 237 new probable cases, for a total of 1,230, as the spread of the virus showed no signs of abating.
Ada County recorded 198 new confirmed cases Tuesday and 116 probable cases, a day after it reported a whopping 364 new confirmed cases. Tuesday’s numbers bring the countywide total to 17,346 confirmed infections.
Canyon County recorded 201 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the most the county has had in one day since Aug. 6. Canyon’s total is now 10,661 confirmed infections, according to Southwest District Health.
Another 16 people were reported dead statewide Tuesday because of COVID-19-related causes. That leaves the state’s death toll at 720. Of that number, 151 deaths occurred within the past 16 days.
Tuesday’s COVID-19-related deaths included four in Ada County, three in Canyon County and two in Bannock County. Nez Perce, Idaho, Bonneville, Payette, Kootenai, Twin Falls and Cassia counties recorded one death apiece.
North Idaho’s Kootenai County also saw a leap Tuesday, recording 134 new confirmed cases of the virus. The countywide total sits at 4,944, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Since the pandemic reached Idaho, there have been 65,115 confirmed cases and 10,553 probable cases of the virus, according to the state.
Health and Welfare estimates that 33,330 people have recovered from the virus.
The Monday report from the state on school figuresfound that 326 coronavirus infections were found between Oct. 30-Nov. 6 at Idaho K-12 schools. In two weeks, the number of reported infections has increased from 220 to 326.
Other counties to report new confirmed cases of the virus on Tuesday include: Nez Perce 51 (1,313 total), Latah 22 (1,148 total), Idaho 9 (462 total), Clearwater 10 (185 total), Lewis 2 (111 total), Bannock 15 (2,124 total), Bear Lake 2 (104 total), Bingham 12 (1,429 total), Butte 1 (98 total), Caribou 1 (250 total), Franklin 11 (366 total), Oneida 3 (79 total), Power 2 (335 total), Adams 2 (70 total), Gem 8 (444 total), Owyhee 5 (408 total), Payette 15 (1,091 total), Washington 6 (475 total), Elmore 1 (486 total), Boise 2 (85 total), Benewah 2 (200 total), Bonner 23 (566 total), Boundary 4 (115 total), Shoshone 25 (340 total), Bonneville 73 (4,315 total), Fremont 4 (518 total), Jefferson 8 (928 total), Lemhi 11 (325 total), Madison 39 (2,770 total), Teton 14 (342 total), Twin Falls 34 (4,581 total), Blaine 3 (947 total), Cassia 19 (1,551 total), Gooding 1 (572 total), Jerome 5 (1,253 total), Lincoln 2 (241 total), Minidoka 13 (1,280 total).
NORTHWEST NAZARENE ISSUES STAY-IN-PLACE ORDER
Northwest Nazarene University announced Tuesday that the school will issue a stay-in-place order for Nov. 11-Nov. 17. NNU has seen 35 people diagnosed as COVID-19 positive or probable since Nov. 3, according to a news release sent Tuesday.
The majority of the cases were identified through NNU’s campuswide asymptomatic weekly saliva screening.
“This has allowed the Health Services staff to identify and support individuals who are impacted early and help mitigate the spread of the virus,” according to the news release. “Despite these efforts and continued evidence that the saliva screening is working to help the university identify infected individuals early, a continued increase in cases over the weekend in the surrounding community and on campus has led NNU’s senior leadership team, after discussion with Southwest District Health, to take a proactive step to try and slow the spread of the virus by issuing a weeklong ‘stay-in-place’ directive.”
The directive means all classes will be taught online, employees who can work remotely will be asked to do so, and campus visitors will be restricted. Students who live on campus will be asked to limit their movement around campus and stay in residential halls or apartments as much as possible, except to retrieve meals and for outdoor exercise. Nonresidential local students will be asked to limit their nonessential social engagements and practice increased caution in their workplaces.
In-person classes are scheduled to resume Nov. 18 and will run through Nov. 25, when Thanksgiving break begins. Following Thanksgiving break, students will have the choice to complete the semester remotely.
DAILY DETAILS
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 2,962 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 593 admissions to the ICU and 4,318 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 Nov. 9, the health system was reporting 97 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 499 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 19%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Nov. 9, the health system was reporting 71 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 314 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 20.6%.
Boise School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff since Nov. 3: Amity Elementary (2), Boise High (9), Borah High, (5) Capital High (4), Cynthia Mann Elementary (1), District Services Center (1), East Junior High (1), Fairmont Junior High (1), Frank Church High (2), Grace Jordan Elementary (1), Hawthorne Elementary (3), Hillside Junior High (3), Horizon (1), Jefferson Elementary (1), Liberty Elementary (1), Longfellow Elementary (1), Lowell Elementary (2), Monroe Elementary (1), Morley Nelson Elementary (1), North Junior High (7), Owyhee Elementary (1), Riverglen Junior High (6), Riverside Elementary (4), Shadow Hills Elementary (1), South Junior High (2), Taft Elementary (1), Timberline High (5), Trail Wind Elementary (1), West Junior High (1), White Pine Elementary (2), Whittier Elementary (7).
West Ada School District: The district says the following schools or units have reported confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff for the weeks of Oct. 25-Nov. 7: Centennial High (4), Eagle High (11), Meridian Academy (1), Meridian High (13), Mountain View High (17), Rocky Mountain High (5), Eagle Middle (2), Lewis and Clark Middle (6), Lowell Scott Middle (3), Meridian Middle (1), Pathways Middle (1), Sawtooth Middle (1), Star Middle (2), Barbara Morgan STEM (1), Cecil D. Andrus Elementary (2), Chief Joseph School of the Arts (2), Christine Donnell (1), Desert Sage Elementary (1), Discovery Elementary (1), Eagle Hills Elementary (1), Eliza Hart Spalding Stem Academy (1), Galileo STEM Academy (1), Hillsdale Elementary (5), Mary McPhearson (1), McMillan Elementary (2), Meridian Elementary (1), Pepper Ridge (1), Peregrine Elementary (1), Pioneer School of the Arts (1), Pleasant View Elementary (1), Ponderosa Elementary (1), Prospect Elementary (1), River Valley Elementary (1).
Testing totals: At the end of the day Tuesday, Health and Welfare reported that 413,838 people had been tested statewide. About 15.7% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Counties with community spread: All counties except Adams have been announced to have community spread.
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 17,346, Adams 70, Bannock 2,124, Bear Lake 104, Benewah 200, Bingham 1,429, Blaine 947, Boise 85, Bonner 566, Bonneville 4,315, Boundary 115, Butte 98, Camas 39, Canyon 10,661, Caribou 250, Cassia 1,551, Clark 37, Clearwater 185, Custer 92, Elmore 486, Franklin 366, Fremont 518, Gem 444, Gooding 572, Idaho 462, Jefferson 928, Jerome 1,253, Kootenai 4,944, Latah 1,148, Lemhi 325, Lewis 111, Lincoln 241, Madison 2,770, Minidoka 1,280, Nez Perce 1,313, Oneida 79, Owyhee 408, Payette 1,091, Power 335, Shoshone 340, Teton 342, Twin Falls 4,581, Valley 152, Washington 475.
