Asotin County sees highest single-day COVID-19 increase

Asotin County reported its highest single-day COVID-19 jump Wednesday with 38 new cases, as most public health officials in the region took the day off from reporting virus numbers.

Asotin County has reported 489 total cases and 10 deaths since the pandemic began. Four people from the county are currently hospitalized with the virus, Public Health Administrator Brady Woodbury said.

Updated numbers were not reported for Garfield and Whitman counties in southeastern Washington or by Public Health – Idaho North Central District, because of the Veterans Day holiday.

The Lewiston School District reported Wednesday it has had 113 COVID-19 cases since the school year began. The school district, which recently implemented a mandatory mask requirement in all school buildings, only reported one new case Wednesday, a staff member at Camelot Elementary. There are 41 active cases within the school district, which has 4,588 students and 999 staff members.

Among the 41 active cases, 28 are students and 13 are staff members. The school district has had 69 students and 44 staff members contract the virus this school year; of those, 41 students and 31 staff members have returned to school.

All schools have reported at least one case, with Lewiston High School reporting the highest number with 39 students and six staff members. Tammany High School and McGhee Elementary have had the lowest number of reported cases in the district, each with one: a student at Tammany, who has since returned to the classroom, and a staff member at McGhee, who is among the active cases. Jenifer Middle School has had the most members of its staff catch the disease, with seven, none of which are active. Three of Jenifer’s seven total cases among its student body are active.

Lewiston schools and classes remain open in the “green” phase, and buildings have been cleaned and disinfected. The temporary, mandatory mask order was extended this week throughout the district for at least two more weeks.

Tuesday’s new case count across the U.S. was the highest for a single day since the pandemic began, with 134,383, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported 1,859 more deaths from COVID-19 across the country, the highest daily death total since June 25, when 2,516 deaths were reported.

Washington state did not report updated numbers. Washington had 120,011 cases and 2,482 deaths, through the end of Monday. There have been 9,092 people hospitalized in the Evergreen State because of COVID-19, with 357 added in the past week. The state reported 66 more deaths and 8,631 new cases over the past seven days.

Washington reported 495 people were in the hospital because of COVID-19 on Monday, and 58 of the patients had been put on ventilators. Since the pandemic began, Washington reports people ages 0 to 19 account for 2 percent of the hospitalizations in the state; people aged 20 to 39 make up 14 percent of the hospitalizations; people ages 40 to 59 account for 28 percent of the hospitalizations; people ages 60 to 79 make up 38 percent of the state’s hospitalizations and people 80 and older make up 18 percent of hospitalizations.

Idaho reported 1,693 new cases and 14 more deaths. Idaho has had 77,121 cases, and 733 Idahoans have died. Idaho reported 8,807 new cases and 69 more deaths over the past week.

Idaho reported 361 people were hospitalized in 48 hospitals statewide because of COVID-19 as of Monday, the latest data available, which is released on Wednesdays. Monday’s hospitalizations represented the highest number of Idahoans hospitalized in a day because of the virus since the pandemic began. The Gem State also reported 94 Idahoans were in an intensive care unit on Monday, tied with Sunday for the most Idahoans in an ICU since the pandemic began.

There were 3,002 Idahoans hospitalized because of the virus since the pandemic began, through Monday. Over the past week of available data, 272 more Idahoans were hospitalized because of the disease. Hospitalizations in the Gem State include 65 younger than 18, up six from a week ago; 181 between the ages of 18 and 29, up 10 from a week ago; 217 in their 30s, up 14 from a week ago; 286 in their 40s up 21 from a week ago; 374 in their 50s, up 32 over a week ago; 552 in their 60s, up 44 from a week ago; 718 in their 70s, up 92 from a week ago; 479 in their 80s, up 39 from a week ago; 126 in their 90s, up 14 from a week ago and four people 100 or older, the same as a week ago.

Idaho reported 99 available ICU beds Wednesday and 445 ventilators in the state’s hospitals.

Idaho reported 406 men and 327 women have died because of COVID-19. Men are dying at a rate of 45.3 per 100,000, up 3.8 people over the past week. Women are dying at a rate of 36.7 per 100,000 up 3.9 people over the past week.

Idaho deaths from COVID-19 include one between the ages of 18 and 29, unchanged from a week ago; five in their 30s, unchanged from a week ago; 14 in their 40s, unchanged from a week ago; 27 in their 50s, up three from a week ago; 97 in their 60s, up eight from a week ago; 191 in their 70s, up 20 from a week ago and 398 who were 80 or older, up 38 from a week ago.

Wells may be contacted at mwells@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2275.