The numbers remain low — especially compared to the winter — but child coronavirus cases increased last week.
The state reported 103 new coronavirus cases involving 5- to 17-year-olds.
The previous week, this number was 44.
However, at late January’s peak of the omicron variant outbreak, weekly cases involving school-age children reached nearly 3,000. In late September, during the delta variant outbreak, child cases crested at about 1,500 per week.
Current numbers are mixed in the state’s three largest school districts:
- The Boise School District reported 62 positive cases last week, unchanged from the previous week. Two weeks ago, Boise schools reported just 26 new cases.
- The West Ada School District reported just one active case Sunday, involving a high school student.
- The Nampa School District reported six new cases last week, down from eight the previous week.
Idaho’s overall coronavirus cases also crept upward last week.
The state counted 1,049 new cases last week, up from 806 the preceding week.
Again, this is a modest increase; weekly cases peaked at close to 20,000 during January’s omicron surge.
Another key metric is heading in the wrong direction. For the week ending May 7, 5% of coronavirus tests came back positive, up from 3.2%. The 5% number is a tipping point; a rate above that threshold suggests an outbreak is out of control.
Hospitalizations remain stable, however.
On Wednesday, the state reported 44 COVID-19 hospitalizations and eight ICU admissions, consistent with recent numbers. No pediatric patients were hospitalized with COVID-19.
