Update (March 10): Boise-area COVID-19 hospitalizations rise. What to know

Angela Palermo
Darin Oswald/doswald@idahostatesman.com

Update Friday, March 10, 2023: COVID-19 levels stayed in the green zone for the second week in Ada, Canyon and surrounding counties, according to the latest coronavirus updates late Thursday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s community-level metrics put Ada, Canyon, Boise and Elmore counties in the green, or low, category, on March 2, down from the yellow, or medium, category the counties were in the previous week. Two counties in Idaho, Bear Lake and Benewah, were in the yellow as of March 9, and one county, Lemhi, was in the red, or high, category.

In addition to community levels, which are used to determine whether people should take actions like wearing masks or limiting social contact, the CDC also calculates COVID-19 transmission rates. The latest rates March 9 kept Ada, Canyon, Boise and Elmore counties in the red, or high, category for disease transmission where they have been for several weeks.

Most other Idaho counties remained in the red too.

Cases rates reported March 9 in Ada County rose slightly from levels reported the week before, but fell in Canyon County. Hospitalizations rose in both counties.

The details:

Case rates. With 344 people recorded as having COVID-19, Ada County’s rate of illness rose to 71.4 per 100,000 people, a 4.2% increase. Canyon County had 200 reported cases, and its rate fell to 87 per 100,000, a 7.4% decrease.

Hospital admissions. Ada County had an estimated 34 admissions, up from 22, and Canyon County 16, up from 10. Their combined admissions totaled 7.1 per 100,000 people.

Hospital beds filled. Staffed inpatient beds in use by confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ada and Canyon counties were 4%, up slightly from 3.8%.

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The story below was published Feb. 28, 2023:

COVID-19’s impact on the Treasure Valley is rising again, as Ada, Canyon and surrounding counties’ community levels climbed into the yellow zone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s latest community-level metrics put Ada, Canyon, Boise and Elmore counties in the yellow, or medium, category, up from the green, or low, category the counties stayed in for much of February. One county in the state, Valley, has moved into the red, or high, community-level category.

The CDC uses community levels to recommend actions people should take, such as wearing a mask or limiting social contact. In the yellow category, the CDC recommendations include:

  • Wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public if you are at high risk of getting very sick.

  • If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.

  • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses.

  • Ventilate your home by getting fresh air into it, filtering its air and improving air flow.

  • Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

  • If you have been exposed to COVID-19, wear a mask for 10 days, get tested at least 5 days after your last exposure, and isolate immediately if you test positive.

The CDC uses three metrics to determine the levels of COVID-19 in a community, two of which involve hospitalizations, while the third is a measure of the disease’s spread: new hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the past seven days, the percentage of hospital beds filled by COVID-19 patients, and new cases per 100,000 people from the past seven days.

Disease transmission in red zone

Separately, the CDC also tracks COVID-19 transmission rates. It tracks disease transmission using two metrics, neither involving hospitalization: new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days, and the percentage of positive test results from the past seven days, also known as the positivity rate.

Ada, Canyon, Boise and Elmore counties are still in the CDC’s red, or high, category for disease transmission that they were in a week earlier. Only six counties in the state — Custer, Butte, Clark, Teton, Caribou and Bear Lake — are in the blue, or low, category.

The community levels primarily assess the risk that local hospitals will become overwhelmed. Early in 2022, the CDC shifted from measuring transmission risk, which it started doing in 2020, to the new community-level format. That was a major change in how the risk to individuals is assessed, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.

So even though Ada and Canyon counties are now in the CDC’s yellow zone, COVID-19’s transmission level is still high.

Here’s what the latest CDC data, as of Tuesday, Feb. 28, shows in the Treasure Valley:

Case rates. With 341 people recorded as having COVID-19, Ada County’s rate of illness rose to 70.8 per 100,000 people, a 30% increase. Canyon County had 71 reported cases, and its rate fell to 30.9 per 100,000, a 49% decrease.

Hospital admissions. Ada County had an estimated 37 admissions and Canyon County 17. Their combined admissions totaled 10.2 per 100,000 people.

Hospital beds filled. Staffed inpatient beds in use by confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ada and Canyon counties were 4.3%, up from 3.6%.

Business and Local Government Editor David Staats contributed.

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