The state saw encouraging news this week as the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported Thursday that the statewide test positivity rate had dropped to 3.7%, down from last week’s 6.2%. That meets the state’s longtime goal of keeping the rate below 5% and is the lowest the rate has been at since June of 2021.

The state’s all-time high test positivity rate was nearly 38% back in January.

Gov. Brad Little announced this week that he plans to lift the state’s emergency disaster declaration on April 15. That comes after having a declaration in place since 2020. The declaration made Idaho eligible for federal emergency assistance in a time of crisis.

While infection numbers are dropping, Idaho nears a grim milestone. The state nears 5,000 COVID-19 deaths, reporting 4,814 deaths as of Thursday. Nationwide, the death toll nears 1 million, as more than 965,000 COVID deaths had been reported across the country on Thursday.