COVID-19 in Boise area is heading the wrong way. What we know, and what CDC is saying
The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update on the coronavirus in Idaho shows parts of the state headed in the wrong direction.
Ada and Canyon are among counties that have moved from the green zone to the yellow on the CDC’s weekly county-by-county map of COVID-19’s risk to most people.
“Be careful out there,” said Dr. David Pate, former CEO of the St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, in a tweet late Wednesday. “It does appear that we may have begun a new COVID-19 surge both in the U.S. and in Idaho. We should know for sure next week, but almost every indicator suggests this is the case.”
Be careful out there. It does appear that we may have begun a new COVID-19 surge both in the US and in Idaho. We should know for sure next week, but almost every indicator suggests this is the case.
— Dr. David Pate (@drpatesblog) December 1, 2022
The CDC uses three metrics to determine whether counties are at low (green), medium (yellow) or high (red/orange) risk. Here’s what the latest CDC data shows:
1. Case rates. With 455 people recorded as having COVID-19, Ada County’s rate of illness rose to 94.5 per 100,000 people, a 2% increase. Canyon County had 140 reported cases, and its rate fell 18.6% to 61 per 100,000. Those rates are likely under-reported.
“The CDC estimates that COVID-19 cases may be five to 10 times higher than reported due to the large use of at-home tests that are not reported to public health and people with mild symptoms that do not test,” the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says.
Deaths numbered fewer than 10 in each county, with the exact number unreported.
2. Hospital admissions. Ada County had an estimated 49 admissions and Canyon County 24. Their combined admissions totaled 10.4 per 100,000 people. In comparison, the rates were 6.2 per 100,000 the first week of November.
3. Hospital beds filled. Staffed inpatient beds in use by confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ada and Canyon counties were 5.5%, up from 3.4% in the second week of November.
Red alert for community-transmission rates
The CDC also monitors the rate of transmission of the disease in a metric it calls community transmission. Ada and Canyon counties are now in the highest, or red, category.
In fact, all but eight Idaho counties are now in that unwelcome category. Ada and Canyon previously were in the second-highest category, with “substantial” transmission rates.
Only one county, tiny Clark County just south of the Montana line in East Idaho, has a low reported transmission rate of the disease. Clark County has fewer than 1,000 residents.
What to do in medium- and low-risk counties
Here’s what the CDC recommends for people in medium-risk (yellow) and low-risk (green) counties:
“Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
“Get tested if you have symptoms.
“Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19.
“Wear a mask on public transportation.
“You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
“If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions.”
Pate urges greater caution than this. In a follow-up post Saturday in Twitter, he noted a sharp rise in flu and respiratory syncytial virus, which causes cold-like symptoms. Pate wrote in part: “Given the high flu levels, RSV levels and beginning of a new COVID surge, you might want to consider wearing a mask while you are out in public….. just sayin’ (of course, not schools — let ‘er rip! Yay freedom!)“
Idaho county in high-risk red zone
One Idaho county, Lincoln, in the Magic Valley north of Twin Falls, is in the high-risk (red) zone, with a case rate of 503.2 per 100,000 people.
In red counties, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public, and taking additional precautions if you are at high risk for severe illness. Those precautions may include staying at home if you have COVID-19 and avoiding contact with people who may have it.
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