Idaho has gone seven consecutive days reporting less than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.
As of Tuesday, the state’s seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases reached its lowest point since early October, at 534.4 cases per day. The seven-day average has dropped by 67.6% since its peak of 1,650.3 cases per day on Dec. 10.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the state’s seven public health districts reported 374 new confirmed and 170 new probable cases Tuesday, for a total of 544.
There were four new coronavirus-related deaths announced between Ada (3 new, 402 total) and Bonneville (1 new, 134 total) counties. Idaho has lost 1,691 residents to the virus, with a case fatality rate of about 1.05%.
One of the latest deaths added to Health and Welfare’s demographics web page includes an individual between the ages of 18 and 29, the fourth such death in that age group.
Nearly 64% of Tuesday’s new confirmed cases were distributed between three counties: Ada (129 new, 37,455 total), Canyon (69 new, 19,971 total) and Kootenai (41 new, 13,761 total).
Bannock (21 new, 4,345 total), Madison (13 new, 5,066 total), Bonneville (12 new, 8,325 total) and Bingham (10 new, 2,460 total) were the only other counties to see double-digit increases.
The other counties adding new confirmed cases were Bear Lake (2 new, 233 total), Benewah (2 new, 412 total), Blaine (6 new, 1,703 total), Bonner (2 new, 2,105 total), Butte (1 new, 149 total), Caribou (1 new, 325 total), Cassia (1 new, 2,369 total), Custer (1 new, 175 total), Elmore (8 new, 1,162 total), Franklin (2 new, 799 total), Fremont (4 new, 836 total), Idaho (1 new, 866 total), Jefferson (9 new, 1,672 total), Latah (7 new, 2,327 total), Lincoln (3 new, 364 total), Minidoka (2 new, 1,858 total), Nez Perce (2 new, 2,973 total), Oneida (1 new, 204 total), Owyhee (1 new, 846 total), Payette (2 new, 1,831 total), Power (2 new, 438 total), Shoshone (1 new, 902 total), Teton (4 new, 570 total), Twin Falls (9 new, 6,784 total), Valley (5 new, 562 total) and Washington (3 new, 832 total).
Health and Welfare removed one confirmed case each from Boundary (342 total), Gem (1,262 total) and Gooding (886 total) counties. Cases are sometimes removed when an investigation determines an individual’s residence is in another county, health district or state.
Since the pandemic reached Idaho, the state has reported 131,011 confirmed cases overall, plus 29,684 probable cases. Health and Welfare estimates that 78,246 of those cases have recovered from the virus.
Boise to reopen some city buildings
Boise will reopen several city buildings to the public starting Feb. 1, expanding the in-person services offered.
Boise City Hall will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for in-person access to the city clerk’s office, utility billing, and planning and development services. The Parks and Recreation administration office will be open in the same time frame to help with park reservations.
The Foothills Learning Center and Boise Urban Garden School will also reopen, and the Fort Boise Community Center will be open for limited programming with registration.
In addition, the Boise Public Library branches will start offering in-person services beginning Feb. 8. People will be able to browse, pick up holds, get account help and use reference services.
The main library, 715 S. Capitol, will be open Monday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. Branch libraries will be open on Wednesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. Curbside services will remain available at all locations, and are accessible from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Boise Depot, the Dick Eardley Senior Center, Idaho IceWorld, the James Castle House and the indoor exhibition center at the Boise WaterShed remain closed, although Meals on Wheels lunch pickup is still available. Public meetings from the city will continue to be hybrid setups with both in-person and remote attendance options.
City officials are encouraging people to go online for virtual services or to schedule appointments beforehand to make sure the services you need are available at any city building.
Daily Details
Vaccine doses administered in Idaho: 96,896, according to Health and Welfare. Of those, 65,664 people have received only their first dose.
Overall hospitalizations: Health and Welfare reports that there have been 6,560 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, 1,144 admissions to the ICU and 8,596 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 Jan. 25, the health system was reporting 38 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 463 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 10%.
Saint Alphonsus Health System: As of Jan. 25, the health system was reporting 59 patients in its hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 out of 375 patients overall. The health system reported a 14-day coronavirus test positivity rate of 17.1%.
Testing totals: At the end of the day Tuesday, Health and Welfare reported that 595,187 people had been tested statewide. About 22% of those have been positive for COVID-19.
Boise School District: Reported cases since Jan. 19: Boise High (1), Borah High (3), Capital High (1), East Junior High (3), Garfield Elementary (1), Hawthorne (1), Hillside Junior High (1), Monroe Elementary (1), Pierce Park Elementary (1), Riverside Elementary (1), Shadow Hills Elementary (3), South Junior High (3), West Junior High (1), Whittier Elementary (1).
West Ada School District: Reported cases from Jan. 13-26: Centennial High (5), Eagle Academy (1), Eagle High (3), Idaho Fine Arts (1), Mountain View High (8), Rebound School of Opportunity (1), Rocky Mountain High (2), Heritage Middle (1), Lewis and Clark Middle (1), Lowell Scott Middle (1), Meridian Middle (1), Star Middle (1), Frontier Elementary (1), Hillsdale Elementary (2), Paramount Elementary (1), Seven Oaks Elementary (1), Siena Elementary (1), Silver Sage Elementary (1), Summerwind STEM (1).
Counties with confirmed COVID-19 cases: Ada 37,455, Adams 237, Bannock 4,345, Bear Lake 233, Benewah 412, Bingham 2,460, Blaine 1,703, Boise 217, Bonner 2,105, Bonneville 8,325, Boundary 342, Butte 149, Camas 48, Canyon 19,971, Caribou 325, Cassia 2,369, Clark 44, Clearwater 737, Custer 175, Elmore 1,162, Franklin 799, Fremont 836, Gem 1,262, Gooding 886, Idaho 866, Jefferson 1,672, Jerome 1,893, Kootenai 13,761, Latah 2,327, Lemhi 395, Lewis 270, Lincoln 364, Madison 5,066, Minidoka 1,858, Nez Perce 2,973, Oneida 204, Owyhee 846, Payette 1,831, Power 438, Shoshone 902, Teton 570, Twin Falls 6,784, Valley 562, Washington 832.
Jacob Scholl is a breaking news reporter for the Idaho Statesman. Before starting at the Statesman in March 2020, Jacob worked for newspapers in Missouri and Utah. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri.
