SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials on Friday confirmed the largest daily rise in COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began, with 343 cases added since Thursday.
Those new cases bring the Beehive State’s total since the outbreak began to 9,264, according to the Utah Department of Health. Just over 2,300 more people were tested, of whom there was a nearly 15% positive rate.
Although Friday brought a large jump in cases, officials say it’s too soon to know if the numbers indicate an upward trend.
“While 343 new cases is the largest, single-day increase we have reported since the beginning of this outbreak, I would caution against jumping to conclusions on what this particular data point might mean,” Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, said in a statement.
“Comparing weekly cases over the past two weeks, we have seen a 3% increase in daily cases. Specifically, we have seen 1,197 new cases in the current week, compared to 1,162 cases in the week prior,” Dunn said.
Among new cases reported Friday, the first case was confirmed at the Utah State Prison in Draper, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. The inmate, a man between 18 and 24 years old came to the prison May 27 after being held in a county jail, officials said. He is now isolated.
Areas move to low-risk
Meanwhile on Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert announced that West Valley City, Magna and Grand County were approved to immediately move from Utah’s moderate-risk or “orange” phase to low-risk or “yellow.” Under the change, gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, swimming pools can reopen, team sports can resume, and businesses that had been closed due to the pandemic can reopen.
Grand County officials, who had sought to hold the area back from moving into the low-risk phase, expressed concern about changing the level and reducing restrictions after a busy Memorial Day weekend.
Most of the members of the Grand County Council were “disappointed” because they had passed a public health order on Thursday to remain at the moderate-risk level, with some modifications. Herbert rejected that order, County Attorney Christina Sloan told the Deseret News.
“The governor has touted local control, and yet he has refused to give Grand County enough time to evaluate the impact of our busy Memorial Day weekend or the opening of the parks today,” she said.
The Moab Regional Hospital on Thursday reported to the council that it “was as busy as it’s ever been last weekend,” Sloan said.
Additionally, the county search and rescue team reported eight “serious” rescue missions between Saturday and Wednesday last week.
“So I don’t think the governor has appropriately respected the unique situation in Grand County or the will of the Grand County Council,” Sloan said.
Salt Lake City, plus Bluff and Mexican Hat in San Juan County are now the only areas in Utah remaining in the moderate-risk phase.
New cases
The largest increases in cases Friday happened in Salt Lake County, where 168 more were confirmed; Utah County, with 49; the Bear River Health District, with 39; and southwest Utah, with 26.
The rest of Utah’s health districts each saw fewer than 20 more cases confirmed.
Another death was also confirmed Friday, a Salt Lake County woman over age 85 who was a resident in a long-term care facility. She brings the state’s coronavirus death toll to 107.
Nineteen more people required hospitalization for the virus, bringing the current number of people hospitalized in Utah to 101.
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In Utah, 5,813 people are considered recovered from COVID-19 after passing the three-week point since their diagnoses.
This week’s increase in cases over last week “could partially be explained by the lull we experienced in testing over the holiday weekend. It could also be that we are experiencing an actual uptick in cases, including in localized areas that are experiencing outbreaks, such as in the Salt Lake veteran’s nursing home,” according to Dunn.
On Thursday, the state announced that 41 residents and 17 staffers at the William E. Christoffersen Veterans Home tested positive for COVID-19.
Although Utah moved to its low-risk phase on May 1, the risk of contracting the disease remains, Dunn noted. Additional cases were expected when the state lowered its risk level and allowed more businesses to reopen. More targeted testing in underserved areas was also expected to increase case counts.
As part of that ongoing effort, the Consulate of Mexico, with the state health department and the University of Utah Wellness Bus, offered testing Friday for those without health insurance in West Valley City, which has been among Utah’s hardest-hit communities.
The transmission rate remains low, with each case passing the virus on to an average of about one other person, Dunn said. Intensive care unit use in Utah hospitals also remains below capacity.
“We will continue to watch our daily case counts closely, with the goal of preventing widespread, community transmission,” Dunn said.
She urged continued vigilance.
“We all have a responsibility to be proactive and to do the things we know will help limit the spread of this virus: stay home if you’re sick, practice good hand hygiene, maintain social distancing, and when that’s not possible, wear a mask,” she said.
The latest breakdown of Utah cases, hospitalizations and deaths by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 4,994; 443 hospitalized; 71 deaths.
- Utah County, 1,826; 100 hospitalized; 17 deaths.
- Davis County, 447; 41 hospitalized; 2 deaths.
- Summit County, 412; 37 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Southwest Utah, 386; 34 hospitalized; 4 deaths.
- San Juan County, 286; 30 hospitalized; 5 deaths.
- Weber-Morgan, 288; 31 hospitalized; 5 deaths.
- Wasatch County, 265; 12 hospitalized; 1 death.
- Bear River, 156; 15 hospitalized; 2 deaths.
- Tooele County, 125; 6 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Central Utah, 38; 3 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Southeast Utah, 23; 0 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- TriCounty (Uinta Basin), 18; 1 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
