Idaho primary care clinics say COVID surge mirrors last fall

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s largest independent primary medical care system is reporting coronavirus numbers that mirror the surge last fall, and a Boise-area hospital is again putting some elective surgeries on hold. Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Group, says the numbers don’t bode well. Primary Health’s 21 clinics in southwestern Idaho are seeing a positivity rate of 20% for coronavirus tests — well above the CDC’s recommended rate of 5% or lower. St. Luke’s Regional Health System announced Tuesday that some surgeries and procedures would be postponed because of high COVID rates in the community resulting in hospitalization.