KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Kootenai County's positivity rate for COVID-19 has reached its highest point in more than five months, as reported by our news partners, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
According to the state's COVID-19 Dashboard on Thursday, the county's positivity rate for virus was 22% based on 735 PCR tests for week ending July 2. Just three and a half months ago, it was 0.9%.
The Panhandle Health District's positivity rate rose to 20.6 based on 1,035 tests, up from a low of 1.4% on March 26.
The state's COVID-19 positivity rate was 14.3% based on 13,256 PCR tests. That's the highest in nearly five months.
The PHD reported 368 new COVID-19 cases this week and three more deaths attributed to the virus, which brings the total of COVID-19 deaths in the PHD to 974. Ninety percent of those deaths were people age 70 or older, as the virus continues to take more of a toll on the elderly.
Six districtwide hospitalizations are currently attributed to the coronavirus. Statewide hospitalizations were at 130 as of July 4, down from 155 the previous week.
Kootenai County's fully vaccinated rate of those age 5 and older remains low at 45%, according to the state. The national average is 71%.
One recent study found that nearly half of Idahoans' views on COVID-19 rules remain unchanged.
"After 1 million deaths, months of squabbling over stimulus aid, street protests, vaccine mandates, chronic supply problems, compulsory mask wearing and enforced social distancing, two years of nation infighting has not moved the needle for almost half of Americans," according to the study by MyBioSource.com, a biotechnical products distribution company, who questioned 3,442 people.
They asked people whether their views on COVID rules and regulations have shifted over time, or whether they have remained the same.
The survey found that 48% of Idahoans said their opinions about COVID-19 rules and regulations haven't changed. Thirty-five percent of Idahoans surveyed said they supported the rules, while 17% said they were against them.
One in three reported losing friends over COVID rules, while 61% said if there were to be another pandemic, Americans would be more divided on ways of dealing with the virus in terms of related regulations.
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our partners, click here.