COVID-19 Update: March 18, 2022

The state saw more good news this week, as the statewide test positivity rate dropped to 2.5%. That’s the lowest the positivity rate has been since the pandemic began in 2020. The longtime goal of the Department of Health and Welfare was to keep the rate below 5%. The state’s all-time high test positivity rate was nearly 38% back in January. With the decrease in positive cases, the state is also reporting a decrease in COVID hospitalizations. On a media call Tuesday, the Department of Health and Welfare urged that this was progress, but the pandemic was not yet over and case counts could rise again. Ada County hit a grim milestone this week, marking 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began. Statewide, the COVID vaccine is still widely available to those who want it. Only 76% of the population 65 and older are fully vaccinated in Idaho.