County COVID-19 positivity rate rises for fifth week in a row

COEUR d’ALENE – Kootenai County’s COVID-19 positivity rate rose for the fifth week in a row to reach 13.8%, the highest in three months, according to the state’s COVID-19 Dashboard on Thursday.

The county’s positivity rate was based on 348 PCR tests for the week ending May 21. It reached a low of 0.9% on 19 March.

The Panhandle Health District’s positivity rate rose to 15.2% based on 513 PCR tests, the highest since 21.2% on February 12, and well up from a low of 1.4% two months ago.

The state’s positivity reached 7.6%, the highest in three months.

Health authorities have said the target is a rate of 5% or lower.

The PHD reported 176 new cases in the past week, but deaths attributed to the virus remained at 961, the last reported on April 26.

District-wide hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients were at 3 a.m. Thursday. State-wide hospital admissions of COID-19 patients were 62 on May 23, the highest number since 65 on March 29.