SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 29, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Health on Friday released new COVID-19 numbers revealing one more death and 343 more cases in the past 24 hours.
In a prepared statement, Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist, addressed the major jump in case numbers over one day.
“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,” she said. “One day does not make a trend.
“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.
“This increase 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 Veterans’ Nursing Home.”
The victims who died was a Salt Lake County woman, older than 85, who was a resident of a long-term care facility prior to her death. The number of Utah deaths now stands at 107.
Lab confirmed cases of COVID-19 now stand at 9,264, an increase of 3.8% in the past 24 hours.
In Utah, 205,855 people have been tested, 2,348 in of them in the past 24 hours. Those who tested positive are 4.5% of total tested.
Those who have been hospitalized number 753. Those currently hospitalized for COVID-19 stand at 101, an increase of 19 since yesterday.
“It is important for members of the public to remember that low and moderate risk does not mean ‘no risk,'” Dunn said. “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.
“As the state has started to loosen restrictions we anticipated seeing new cases,” Dunn said. “But there are other important measures to consider as well. Namely the proxy transmission rate, which we base on new hospitalizations, and ICU utilization. The statewide transmission rate stands at 1.1 today, and ICU utilization remains well below our threshold level.
“We will continue to watch our daily case counts closely, with the goal of preventing widespread, community transmission.”
Patients considered recovered, defined as those still living three weeks after their diagnosis date, number 5,813.
Below are the numbers broken down by area:
