Idaho sees big day-to-day drop in COVID-19 cases, also shows positivity rate decline
Ian Max Stevenson and Jim Keyser, The Idaho Statesman
Apr. 16—A spike in coronavirus cases on Wednesday proved to be a blip for Idaho.
The Department of Health and Welfare reported only 210 new cases Thursday, just about half the total of the day before, but the state did add nine COVID-19-related deaths. This week saw Idaho reach 2,000 deaths during the pandemic, and the total number now stands at 2,015.
There was good news on the state's positivity rate, with the latest data showing that it dropped to 4.8% for the week of April 4-10. The rate indicates the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive, and health experts target a rate of less than 5% to show good control over coronavirus spread. For the week of March 28-April 3, Idaho's rate had risen to 5.6%, the highest percentage since early February.