COVID-19 Update: June 18, 2021

As of Friday, half of Idaho adults have had at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and three fourths of Idahoans ages 65 and older have been fully vaccinated. Nearly 703,000 Idahoans ages 12 and older have received at least one dose. The statewide test positivity rate continues to drop, with 3.6 percent of COVID tests coming back positive last week. The seven day moving average incidence rate is down to a new low of 4.4 cases per 100,000 people. Eleven counties reported no new cases in the last week. Lewis County had the highest incidence rate. Ada, Canyon, and Kootenai counties had the highest raw numbers of cases. Variants continue to spread, especially among unvaccinated Idahoans, with the UK variant the most prevalent in the state. This week, Gov. Brad Little announced that state employees can receive four hours of paid time off to get their COVID vaccine, or four hours to use if they’ve already received it. Little encouraged private businesses to offer the same incentives for their employees.