SPR s Doug Nadvornick reports.
Idaho health officials are learning more about the people who have contracted Covid after being vaccinated for the virus.
Kathryn Turner says the state of Idaho has documented 166 so-called ‘breakthrough’ cases. Turner is the deputy state epidemologist in the state Division of Public Health.
She says the 166 figure is point-zero-four percent of the number of Idahoans who have been fully vaccinated.
“The infections are running the gamut as far as age. We have reported cases from 18 to 100 years old. That’s pretty inclusive of all adults. About a third are 65 years of age and older. Another third are in people 40-to-64. The other third are in people less than 40 years of age, she said.
Idaho s vaccine administration rate is currently 73.1%, compared to the national administration rate of 80%. Author: Celina Van Hyning (KTVB) Published: 2:06 PM MDT April 20, 2021 Updated: 6:31 PM MDT April 20, 2021
BOISE, Idaho The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare (IDHW) held its weekly meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
IDHW Director Dave Jeppesen, Public Health Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch, Idaho Bureau of Laboratories Chief Dr. Christopher Ball, Idaho State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn, Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Turner, and Idaho Immunization Program manager Sarah Leeds were present during the meeting.
Idaho s COVID-19 seven-day moving case average continues to trend downward, and for the first time in months, the statewide positivity rate is below 5%, coming in at 4.8%, according to Jeppesen.
Health: COVID-19 variants likely spreading across Idaho (4/11/21) mountainhomenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mountainhomenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Official: COVID-19 variants likely spreading across Idaho
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) Idaho Bureau of Laboratories Director Christopher Ball has said concerning coronavirus variants are likely spreading across the state, despite efforts to vaccinate residents.
COVID-19 vaccines currently being distributed are believed to be effective against the strains; however, the continued spread intensifies pressure to speed up the vaccination efforts, the Post Register reported Tuesday.
“We are in a race against the variants with our vaccination program,” said Kathryn Turner, the state’s deputy public health researcher. “Every single time that virus is transmitted, it has a chance to mutate. So, the faster we get people vaccinated, the better off we’ll be, the fewer variants we’ll have.”
Immigrant aid, lifeguard shortage, Frontier Days: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Birmingham: The city on Tuesday extended a mandate requiring face masks in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, even as the statewide mandate expires. The City Council voted to extend the mask requirement through May 24. The decision came the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Alabama will receive $44 million to expand vaccination efforts. Alabama ranks last in the country for the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the mask ordinance is needed because COVID-19 continues to be a health threat, and most people in the city and the state have not been fully vaccinated. Woodfin said many local businesses also urged the city to keep the mask ordinance in place. “We will continue to make decisions that we be