PHD: COVID deaths top 700

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The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the Panhandle Health District is now more than 700.

PHD on Monday reported the total deaths are 710. Less than two months ago that number was 500.

Most of those deaths, 449, were in Kootenai County. Twenty-three, 3.2%, were people under the age of 50. Most of the deaths, 535, 75%, were people over the age of 70.

Kootenai Health reported Monday it had 62 COVID-19 patients, with 25 requiring critical care. In early October it had 150 COVID-19 patients, with 43 requiring critical care.

An encouraging trend of declining positivity rates continues.

The state’s positivity rate fell for the 10th-straight week to 6.8% for the week ending Nov. 20.

The PHD’s positivity rate fell for the seventh-straight week to 9.9%, while Kootenai County’s declined to 8.7%, the lowest since July 17; and Bonner County's dropped to 13.3%, the lower since mid-August. The positivity rate in Boundary County declined to 17.5%; in Shoshone County, the positivity rate declined to 10.3%; and in Benewah County, the positivity rate declined to 2.8%.

Health officials have said the goal is a 5% positivity rate and continue to call for people to get vaccinated or get booster shots if they already are.

The PHD has a fully vaccinated rate of 45% for those 12 and older, the lowest of Idaho's seven health districts. Forty-six percent of Kootenai County residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Vermont, which has a population of about 450,000, has the nation's highest fully vaccinated rate of 73%. West Virginia is the lowest at 42%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.