On Monday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 458 new cases and 5 new deaths to its statewide total. That’s in addition to 742 new cases and 8 new deaths added over the weekend, bringing the statewide total to 44,422 known cases and 487 deaths.

Ada and Madison counties have both reported 92 cases so far this week, but Ada County has more than ten times the number of people than Madison, making the rate of infection much higher there. It’s currently the highest in the state. Currently, the top ten counties with the highest rates of infection are all rural counties, and hit every region of the state.

On Friday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 677 new cases and 2 new deaths to its statewide total, bringing the statewide total to 43,238 known cases and 474 deaths.

Because of increasing coronavirus spread, the Portneuf Medical Center will restrict visitors starting today. The eastern Idaho health district has reinstated mask orders in Custer, Lemhi, and Teton counties. Rexburg is now number six on the list of American cities with the worst COVID-19 outbreaks.

We don’t yet have a vaccination for COVID-19, but already, Idaho is preparing for distribution. In the meantime, we’re still dealing with spikes, and officials are still trying to convince Idahoans to mask up.

This week, James Dawson from Boise State Public Radio joins Melissa Davlin to discuss vaccinations and the state’s management of COVID-19. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News gives us an update on school and campus reopening.

On Thursday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 513 new cases and 3 new deaths to its statewide total, bringing the statewide total to 42,561 known cases and 472 deaths.

Today, Governor Brad Little announced Idaho will remain in Stage 4 as the state did not meet metrics for reported cases, percent positive tests, and COVID hospitalizations. He emphasized that there are no business restrictions under Stage 4, only recommendations to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Little announced that the state will receive 530,000 antigen tests over the next three months, which will be put to use in schools.

The governor is also putting together a vaccine advisory committee, which will prioritize the distribution of vaccines when they are in limited supply. An eventual vaccine is expected first to be offered to healthcare workers, though final decisions have not yet been made.

On Wednesday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 614 new cases and 5 new deaths to its statewide total. That brings the statewide total to 42,048 known cases and 469 deaths.

Today’s largest case count increases occurred in Ada, Bonneville, Twin Falls, Canyon, and Latah counties. Today’s deaths occurred in Ada, Bonneville, Twin Falls, Canyon, and Madison counties.

On Tuesday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 511 new cases and 4 new deaths to its statewide total. That brings the statewide total to 41,434 known cases and 464 deaths.

The University of Idaho now has eight Greek houses on lock-down. According to the UI Argonaut, some of those houses voluntarily went into isolation, while others did so by order of North Central Health District. Wastewater testing there showed evidence of an increase in COVID cases after Labor Day weekend.

On Monday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 422 new cases to its statewide total. That’s in addition to the 744 new cases and 2 deaths added over the weekend. That brings the statewide total to 40,923 known cases and 460 deaths.

Statewide, a number of local increases in cases have been linked to college campuses. The University of Idaho Argonaut reported on Friday that three Greek houses are on lock-down. According to Idaho Education News, BYU-Idaho reported five dozen cases involving students and staff on Saturday, more than doubling the previous week’s total.

We’ve learned a lot about the novel coronavirus in the six months since the pandemic started affecting Idaho. Dr. Meghan McInerney, pulmonologist at St. Alphonsus in Boise, joins Melissa this week to talk about long-term effects of the virus, and what we still don’t know.

Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane tells us what voters need to know before the Nov. 3 general election, whether they’re voting in-person or by mail.

On Friday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 523 new cases and 1 new deaths to its statewide total. That brings the statewide total to 39,757 known cases and 458 deaths.

Friday’s total is the highest reported by IDHW in a single day since mid-August. This week’s positivity rate isn’t available, but last week’s 8.1 percent is up from the previous week’s 6.7 percent.

On Thursday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare added 491 new cases and 3 new deaths to its statewide total. That brings the statewide total to 39,234 known cases and 457 deaths.

Today’s three deaths were reported in Canyon, Adams, and Twin Falls counties. So far this week, the highest reported case counts have come from Ada, Bonneville, Canyon, Madison, and Twin Falls counties.