Case rates fall, move toward pre-delta variant levels

New coronavirus case numbers continued to slow last week — falling to their lowest level since July.

On Saturday, the state and its health districts reported 299,909 confirmed or probable coronavirus cases.

The week’s 3,535 new cases translate to a 29% decrease from the period from Nov. 1 to Nov. 7, a six-day span.

As new case numbers fell to pre-delta variant levels, other metrics showed signs of improvement:

Child cases. Falling, and to their lowest level since mid-August.

Over the past week, 491 school-aged children contracted coronavirus, down 31% percent from the previous week.

Child case numbers have decreased for seven successive weeks.

Over the past week, two children were hospitalized with COVID-19, down from seven hospitalizations the previous week.

Idaho did report its first pediatric COVID-19 death last week, a Southwest Idaho infant who died in October.

Hospitalizations. Decreasing again, and down by half from peak numbers in September.

On Wednesday, the state tallied 377 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 118 COVID-19 ICU admissions.

On Sept. 24, hospitalizations and ICU admissions crested at 793 and 213, respectively. Since then, numbers have decreased for seven successive weeks.

All Idaho hospitals continue to operate under crisis standards of care.

Deaths. The state reported 99 COVID-19 deaths last week, an 8% decrease.

In all, 3,745 Idahoans have died of COVID-19.

Positive test rates. For the seven-day period ending Nov. 6, 9.2% of coronavirus cases came back positive, down from 10.8% the preceding week.

The positive test rate has fallen for eight successive weeks, inching closer to the state’s 5% target — the threshold that suggests a virus is under control.

Vaccinations. About 7,300 Idahoans became fully vaccinated last week, up from about 7,100 the preceding week.

Current vaccination rates:

Overall: 55.9%. (Last week: 55.4%.)
12- to 15-year-olds: 32%. (Unchanged.)
16- and 17-year-olds: 39%. (Last week: 38%.)
18- to 24-year-olds: 44%. (Unchanged.)

Meanwhile, 4,701 5- to 11-year-olds have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

K-12 thumbnails

Most large districts reported a drop in new cases.

Current case numbers, and one-week comparisons, as self-reported by the districts:

Boise: 37 positive cases last week, up from 31.
Bonneville: 28 active cases, down from 31.
Coeur d’Alene: 31 positive cases last week, down from 38.
Idaho Falls: 11 cases for the week ending Nov. 5, up from six.
Kuna: 13 positive cases Friday, down from 20.
Moscow: No new cases; four cases reported the previous week.
Nampa: 25 cases for the week ending Nov. 5, down from 38.
Pocatello-Chubbuck: 45 cases Friday, up from 43.
Twin Falls: 15 new student and staff cases, down from 16.
West Ada: 17 active cases, down from 24.

Higher education thumbnails

Boise State University: 29 campus cases, up from 21 the previous week. Positive test rate: 2.4%, up from 2.2%.
Brigham Young University-Idaho: 24 active cases Thursday, down from 30 on Nov. 7.
College of Idaho: No new cases the previous week, down from seven. Two students and employees are isolating off-campus. The college has reported 55 total cases during fall semester.
College of Eastern Idaho: One student case last week, down from seven total cases the previous week.
College of Southern Idaho: One student case last week, down from a total of two cases.
College of Western Idaho: No new cases reported.
Idaho State University: 25 total cases for the week ending Tuesday, down from 27.
Lewis-Clark State College: Five active cases, down from six.
North Idaho College: One employee self-reported a case last week, down from a total of six cases the previous week.
University of Idaho: Four reported cases for the week ending Nov. 5, down from nine.

Editor’s note: School districts and colleges and universities do not necessarily count and report cases identically. The case numbers measure trends within a district, college or university, but they don’t provide comparisons between schools or districts.