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Where Blaine County Lies on CDC’s Mask Map
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Saturday, July 31, 2021
 

BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Centers for Disease Control released a map this week showing which counties need to mask up indoors due to high levels of COVID transmission. And Blaine County did not do well.

With 12 new cases during the past week, Blaine County has a “substantial” level of community transmission on a scale that runs from high to substantial to moderate to low.

Ketchum’s Community Library reinstated a mask wearing policy this week, following new CDC guidelines that said even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors where the infection is surging. And organizers of the Sun Valley Jewish Film Festival encouraged those attending four films at the Sun Valley Opera House to mask up—something most did.

On Friday Blaine County had tallied official 2,442 cases since the pandemic began, although that does not include people were unable to get tested. Blaine County is averaging 9.3 new cases  per hypothetical 100,000 residents with a positive test rate of 7.2 percent.

Public health experts say that a percentage over 5 percent indicates that the spread of cases in a community is not under control.

In contrast, during the two weeks through July 10 the risk level was considered minimal, with the county averaging 0.31 new cases per 10,000 residents 0.31 and a test positivity of 2.33 percent.

Transmission remains low in just three Idaho counties: Camas, Butte and Clark counties, where there’s scant population. Custer County is considered moderate. Valley County, home to the resort towns of Cascade and McCall, is experiencing high transmission.

WHY THE UPTICK?

Given Blaine County’s 86 percent vaccination rate among those 12 and older, there’s speculation that the surge is being driven by out-of-town visitors. Tourists have been pouring into Idaho, pushing overnight stays up 188 percent in June according to the Idaho Travel Council.

But Brianna Bodily, information officer for South Central Public Health District, says health officials are seeing a lot of cases in people who are traveling outside the state right now.

“Quite a few of our cases are also among family members again. In other words, one person is infected and then brings the disease home to spread among the people they live with,” she added. 

Hospital officials have reported an increased number of visitors who have tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting Blaine County. But they haven’t seen any significant trend in residents who reported getting sick after hosting visitors.

Health officials ARE seeing a big difference in the age of people getting sick, compared to the rest of the pandemic, Bodily said. And Blaine County loosely follows the same trends they’re seeing for the rest of Idaho.

“In July 2021 alone we saw a big change,” she said. “The 30- to 39-year-olds shot up to 30 percent of the cases in the county and 18- to 29-year-olds dropped to about 8 percent of the cases. We also see a pretty big increase in the number 13- to 17-year-olds, compared to overall data, and a decrease in those 50 and older.”

Since the pandemic began, nearly 20 percent of cases in the last 18 months have been among 18 to 29-year-olds, the largest percentage for any age group. About 15 percent of the cases are among each of the following age bands: 30 to 39-year-olds, 40 to 49-year-olds and 50 to 59-year-olds”

Those 60 and older still make up quite a bit of the percentage of cases overall simply because they comprised so many cases at the beginning of the pandemic. Those under 18 comprise the smallest group by far. 

The share of individuals over 65 who contract the disease has decreased—a testament to the large number of older people who have been vaccinated.

“We have also seen an increase in people under 18 who contract the disease, which is our age category with the fewest vaccinations. However, I think it's important to point out that we're comparing a couple of thousand cases to a month with less than 50. The July data is preliminary and limited in what it can conclusively offer,” Bodily said.

HOW FARES THE REST OF IDAHO?

About 89 percent of Idaho residents live in communities where masks should be worn again, according to the Idaho Falls Post Register. Twenty-seven of Idaho’s 44 counties have substantial to high transmission of the virus.

After falling to a moving seven-day average of just under 50 new cases per day on July 5, the state posted 439 new cases and five new deaths on Thursday bringing the official death toll to 2,195. Among them, a 47-year-old Boise Navy reservist. On Friday it registered 529 new cases and two new deaths.

The number of new cases has been above 350 every day this week with Idaho now reporting 200,484 official cases since the pandemic started.

Only about 46 percent of Idahoans 12 and older are vaccinated, compared with a national rate of about  60 percent. The hot spots right now are the usual suspects--Ada, Canyon, Kootenai, Twin Falls and Bonneville counties

In another sign that COVID-19 is again ballooning, the percentage of tests taken in the state that came back positive last week rose to 5.7%, the highest it has been since the first week of February.



 

 

 

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