COVID-19 metrics are on the rise in Idaho.
The week of June 22, the state’s positivity rate increased to 14.3%, which is nearly three times the 5% benchmark public health experts aim for to indicate more control of viral spread. The prior week, the rate was 12.1%, according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
The test results are delayed by a week, and health experts have cautioned that they likely do not represent the full picture of the disease’s status in Idaho, given the prevalence of at-home testing. The testing levels have been on an upward trend since late March. Ada, Boise and Elmore counties were all at the highest levels.
Regional CDC data show that a variant called BA.5 has been increasing rapidly, making up 50% of cases. BA.5 is “the most transmissible of all,” and also appears to have the greatest ability to escape immunity, meaning that people who were infected this spring could still get infected again this summer, according to Dr. David Pate, a member of Governor Little’s Coronavirus Working Group. (Idaho Statesman)
