Coronavirus case rates continue to slow

New coronavirus case numbers continue to slow — statewide and in schools as well.

Idaho’s largest school districts, and most college campuses, reported decreases last week.

This week’s rundown:

Cases: Decreasing, for the third consecutive week.

The state and its health districts counted 11,373 new cases last week, a 6% decrease.

The current total: 414,605 confirmed or probable coronavirus cases.

Case backlog: Continuing to shrink.

“Data for the most recent two-week period are incomplete,” the state reported on its coronavirus website Sunday. “Due to the recent surge in cases, approximately 25,700 outstanding positive laboratory results are pending local public health district review and followup.”

A week ago, the backlog was 33,000 cases.

Child cases: A third successive decrease, but a slight one.

For the week ending Saturday, 1,629 school-age children contracted coronavirus, a 2% dropoff.

Positive test rate: Another sharp decline, but this rate remains high.

For the week ending Feb. 12, 17% of coronavirus tests came back positive, down from 24.8%.

But 5% remains the goal — a threshold that suggests a virus is under control.

Hospitalizations: Declining across the board.

On Wednesday, Idaho reported 380 COVID-19 hospitalizations, down 27%.

The 86 ICU admissions represent a 29% decrease.

Ten children were in pediatric beds with COVID-19, down from 19 the previous week.

The state lifted crisis standards of care for southern Idaho hospitals on Tuesday.

Deaths: Last week’s 124 deaths represent a big increase from 73 deaths the preceding week.

The increase isn’t necessarily a surprise, as deaths normally lag several weeks behind a spike in cases.

Idaho’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 4,676.

Vaccinations: Current vaccination rates, and weekly comparisons.

All Idahoans, ages 5 and up: 53.6%. (Last week, 53.5%.)
5- to 11-year-olds: 15%. (Last week, 14%.)
12- to 15-year-olds: 37%. (Unchanged.)
16- and 17-year-olds: 42%. (Unchanged.)
18- to 24-year-olds: 50% (Last week, 49%.)

Here are the latest booster shot rates:

All age groups: 43.6%. (Last week: 43.3%.)
12- to 15-year-olds: 13.1%. (Last week: 12.4%.)
16- and 17-year-olds: 20.3%. (Last week: 19.7%.)
18- to 24-year-olds: 19.5%. (Last week: 19.1%.)

K-12 thumbnails

Blaine County: Six active cases last week, five involving students. The district reported a total of 19 cases the previous week.
Boise: 57 positive cases last week, down from 147.
Bonneville: No new data available.
Coeur d’Alene: 12 positive cases last week, down from 52.
Idaho Falls: Five confirmed cases for the week ending Feb. 11, down from 26.
Kuna: 20 positive cases Friday, down from 32 the previous week.
Moscow: 10 new cases last week, down from 18.
Nampa: 29 cases last week, down from 69.
Pocatello-Chubbuck: Eight cases reported Friday, including six involving students. That’s a decrease from a previous total of 24.
Twin Falls: No new data available.
West Ada: Four active cases, for a five-day period ending Sunday, down from 18 on Feb. 6.

Higher education thumbnails

Boise State University: 44 cases, down from 56 cases the previous week. Of the new cases, 26 involved off-campus students, five involved residential students and 13 involved faculty and staff. One student was in a campus isolation bed, down from two the previous week. The positive test rate increased slightly, to 4.4%, up from 4.1%.
Brigham Young University-Idaho: No data available Monday.
College of Eastern Idaho: Six cases, three involving students. CEI reported a total of eight cases the previous week.
College of Idaho: Four cases in the past week, unchanged from the previous week. (224 for the year). One student in isolation off-campus.
College of Southern Idaho: Three new student cases last week. CSI reported 11 new cases the previous week.
College of Western Idaho: Five recent cases, down from nine the previous week. (Monthly total: 16.)
Idaho State University: 37 cases for the week ending Tuesday, down from 85 the previous week. Of the current cases, only six involve students.
Lewis-Clark State College: Three active cases Friday, all involving students. Case numbers unchanged from the previous week.
North Idaho College: NIC is reporting no current cases.
Northwest Nazarene University: Two active cases reported last week, down from six the preceding week. One active case involves a student, the other involves an employee.
University of Idaho: 17 reported cases for the week ending Feb. 11, down from 27 the previous week.