While coronavirus case numbers spiked across Idaho last week, new coronavirus cases declined across most Idaho college campuses.
Boise State University reported its lowest number of new cases in seven weeks, while the University of Idaho’s new case numbers fell to a six-week low and Idaho State University reported a four-week low.
Here’s this week’s roundup.
Increasing
Lewis-Clark State College. Increases across the board: 67 confirmed cases and 22 active cases reported Thursday, up from 50 confirmed cases and 11 active cases on Oct. 23. Sixty-three of the confirmed cases involve students. Demand for isolation units remains unchanged, with one student in isolation.
Northwest Nazarene University. Nine cases for a seven-day period ending Thursday, six involving students living on campus. NNU reported six new cases from the preceding week. The number of students and employees under stay-at-home directives increased; 92 students and employees were in isolation Friday, compared to 77 a week earlier.
Decreasing
Boise State University. After three straight weeks of flat numbers, Boise State Friday reported a dropoff: 43 new cases, down from 55 cases the previous week. Thirty-three cases involved students who live off campus, eight involved students living on campus, and two cases involved employees. Demand for isolation beds also continued to decrease; 10 of Boise State’s 153 isolation beds were occupied, down from 16 the previous week.
University of Idaho. A third straight week of significant decreases in case numbers. The U of I reported 21 cases for the seven-day period ending Oct. 23, down from 43 cases the preceding week.
Last week, the U of I said its spring calendar remains intact. Classes will resume Jan. 13, spring break is scheduled for March 15-19 and exam week will end May 14. The U of I hopes to hold commencement on May 15.
Idaho State University. Case numbers dropped for the third consecutive week: ISU reported 52 probable and confirmed cases for a seven-day period ending Tuesday, down from 61 the previous week. Forty of the week’s new cases involve students, and 41 occurred on the Pocatello campus. Two case clusters are under investigation: a cluster of two cases in the College of Arts and Letters, and two cases involving an unidentified student organization.
College of Western Idaho. In the past week, CWI has reported no new cases involving a coronavirus-positive individual on campus; the college reported four such incidents from Oct. 17 to 23. Meanwhile, three people have self-reported coronavirus cases in the past week, down from eight the previous week. The monthly total of self-reported cases stands at 25.
North Idaho College. A significant dropoff after a one-week spike in cases: 10 students and two employees have self-reported a positive test since Oct. 25, compared to 16 students and six staff members the previous week. Since July, 72 students and employees have reported a positive test.
College of Southern Idaho. A second consecutive week of decreases: 16 new cases in a seven-day period ending Thursday, down from 25 cases the previous week. Ten of the new cases involved students and six involved faculty and staff.
BYU-Idaho. While Madison County remains a statewide coronavirus hotspot, student case numbers continue to tail off somewhat. BYU-Idaho reported on Sunday 80 active student cases and seven active employee cases, compared to 109 active student cases and five active employee cases on Oct. 25.
The College of Idaho. Five new positive tests reported in the past week, down from seven cases the previous week. As of Friday, C of I has reported 53 positive COVID-19 tests for the semester. One person is in campus isolation housing, a number unchanged from the previous week. Three students and one employee are isolating off-campus.
College of Eastern Idaho. Eight students self-reported cases last week, down from nine total cases reported the previous week. Since Aug. 24, the college has reported a total of 46 cases involving students and employees.
Check Kevin Richert’s blog each Friday for a weekly roundup of statewide coronavirus trends.
