Adams County moved to red health alert level; Daily incidence rate maintained across the District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adams County moved to red health alert level; Daily incidence rate maintained across the District
CALDWELL, IDAHO – Daily incidence rates of COVID-19 remain at an elevated level across the district. This is based on data available for the date-range November 22, 2020 – December 5, 2020. Adams County has moved to the red health alert level this week. Currently, all six-counties within the jurisdiction of Public Health District 3 are at the red health alert level. As of December 5, 2020, the daily district-wide incident rate per 10,000 is 9.22.
As a reminder, all six counties in the district are now experiencing community spread, which puts people living in and visiting these communities at higher risk for exposure. It is the goal of Southwest District Health to work our way back to a place where we have no community spread. This is an achievable goal that can be met by making a choice. The choice to socially distance from people outside your household, wearing a face-covering, staying home when sick or exposed to COVID-19, and washing your hands frequently.
The information used in determining county health alert levels is listed below.
ADAMS COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Adams County will move to the red health alert level, with an increasing incidence rate and positivity rate. Adams County saw a 94% increase in daily COVID-19 incidence, which brings the most recent incidence rate to 5.55 daily new cases per 10,000 people.1 Many of these new cases can be traced to travel and community events. Evidence collected through investigations during the two-week period show sustained community transmission in Adams County, as only 41.94% of cases can identify a potential exposure source. Additionally, the test positivity rate for Adams County is 15.22% which has nearly tripled from last week. While there have been some COVID-19 cases in Adams County schools, there is no evidence of cluster outbreaks or transmission within the schools.
CANYON COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Canyon County will remain in the red health alert level due to a high COVID-19 daily incidence rate and positivity rate. Canyon County has a daily incidence rate of 8.93 daily new cases per 10,000 people which is trending up. Only 63.02% of COVID-19 cases have reported knowing where they were exposed, which points to sustained community spread. SWDH investigators are continuing to see cases exposed through social and community gatherings as well as in workplaces and households. Additionally, the test positivity rate in Canyon County remains elevated at 19.48% which is concerning SWDH epidemiologists. Sixteen congregate living facilities are reporting cluster outbreaks. Some healthcare facilities in Canyon County are nearing capacity for inpatient and ICU bed and have concerns about critical care staffing. Some facilities are postponing elective surgeries to conserve resources. Additionally, multiple schools in Canyon County are reporting an outbreak or transmission within the school. Nampa School District, Caldwell School District and some private/charter schools have transitioned to fully remote learning.
1 The incidence rate measures how many cases occur each day, and standardizes this value by population. SWDH measures the daily incidence rate per 10,000 population using the following calculation: daily confirmed and probable cases are averaged over the two-week period. This value is divided by the county population, and then multiplied by 10,000 to find the daily incidence per 10,000.
GEM COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Gem County will remain in the red health alert level, due to a high daily incidence rate and positivity rate. Gem County has a daily incidence rate of 13.88 daily cases per 10,000 people and a test positivity rate of 23.08%. Three congregate care facilities in Gem County are facing a sustained COVID-19 outbreak. 64.44% of new cases that were contacted knew where they were exposed to COVID-19, which is decreasing and points to community transmission. Of the individuals who could identify their exposure source, most were attributed to community gatherings, social gatherings, and local businesses. Multiple schools in Gem County are reporting cluster outbreaks with transmission occurring within the schools.
OWYHEE COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Owyhee County remains in the red health alert level, due to a high COVID-19 daily incidence rate, increasing positivity rate, and evidence of community spread. Owyhee County currently has a daily incidence rate of 10.81 daily cases per 10,000 people, which remains elevated. Only 48.03% of cases can identify an exposure source, which points to sustained community spread. Additionally, the test positivity rate is 30.92% which shows that COVID-19 is much more prevalent in the community than our data shows. SWDH epidemiologists are seeing cluster outbreaks in Owyhee County primarily from social gatherings and workplaces. Multiple schools in Owyhee County are reporting cluster outbreaks with transmission occurring within the schools.
PAYETTE COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Payette County will remain in the red health alert level, due to an increasing COVID-19 daily incidence rate and an elevated positivity rate. Payette County has a daily incidence rate of 8.17 daily new cases per 10,000 people which is increasing. Only 51.98% of confirmed cases know where they were exposed to COVID-19, which points to sustained community spread. SWDH epidemiologists are concerned by cluster outbreaks within local workplace settings, including Idaho and Oregon workplaces, as well as social and community gatherings. Payette County has a test positivity rate of 21.39%, which is remaining elevated and shows that COVID-19 is more prevalent in the community than our data shows. Many Payette County schools are seeing sporadic, imported cases of COVID-19 with one school reporting a cluster outbreak.
WASHINGTON COUNTY – Health Alert Level: Red
Washington County will remain in the red health alert level, due to a high daily incidence rate and an increasingly high positivity rate. Washington County currently has a daily incidence rate of 9.63 daily cases per 10,000 people, which is decreasing but still extremely high. The positivity rate for Washington County is 30.95%, which increased dramatically and shows that COVID-19 is much more prevalent in the community than our data shows. Only 67.20% of confirmed cases know where they were exposed to COVID-19, which points to sustained community spread. SWDH epidemiologists are seeing transmission occurring primarily within households and through community transmission. Multiple Washington County schools are seeing sporadic, imported cases of COVID-19 with transmission occurring within one school.
WEEKLY CASES BY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The following table represents data on confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases among students and staff where investigations began between November 29, 2020 and December 5, 2020.
The following table represents data on the number of staff and students currently in quarantine and isolation on the day the data are pulled and may not account for individuals who have been released from quarantine or are just entering quarantine.
Those in quarantine have been identified as a close contact of a positive case and are being asked to stay home for 14 days to monitor for symptoms. Those in isolation are currently positive for COVID-19 and are asked to isolate away from others for a minimum of ten days from the onset of symptoms to prevent further spread of the infection.
Region 3 data are available on the Southwest District Health website at: https://swdh.id.gov/covid19/. Please visit https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/ for statewide information. Questions may be directed to the SWDH COVID-19 Call Center Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 208-455-5411 or publichealthidaho@phd3.idaho.gov.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Ashley Anderson Ashley.Anderson@phd3.idaho.gov
Katrina Williams Katrina.Williams@phd3.idaho.gov