PHD: 128 new COVID cases

The Panhandle Health District reported 128 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday as health officials say the more contagious delta variant continues to spread in Kootenai County. It's been about six months since PHD consistently had more than 100 cases a day.

PHD now has had 26,701 confirmed cases, with the 18 to 29 age group having the most of those at 4,898.

The number of deaths in the PHD attributed to the virus remained at 333, with 24 since June 1.

Kootenai Health, meanwhile, reported it had 43 COVID-19 patients, the highest in several months, with 19 of those requiring critical care.

Health officials, and government leaders, including Idaho Gov. Brad Little, continue to call for people to get vaccinated, emphasizing the vaccines are safe and effective with minimal side effects.

However, many in Idaho remain doubtful. The number of those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Idaho is 760,174, 50% of the state’s 12 and older population, per the state website Wednesday.

In Kootenai County, 60,285 people 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is 42% of the county’s population in that age group, according to the state website. That places it in about the middle of Idaho counties, with a low of 29% in Boise County to a high of 61% in Ada County.

In the PHD, 80,049 of those 12 and older, 38%, are fully vaccinated as of Wednesday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for people ages 12 or older, 66.9% have received at least one dose of vaccine and 57.7% are fully vaccinated.