County's COVID-19 positivity rate rises for fifth-straight week

COEUR d’ALENE - Kootenai County’s COVID-19 positivity rate rose for the fifth straight week to reach 13.8%, its 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 March 19.

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

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

Health officials have said the goal 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 one reported April 26.

Districtwide hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients were at three on Thursday. Statewide hospitalizations of COID-19 patients were at 62 as of May 23, the most since 65 on March 29.