UTAH, Sept. 18, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah’s lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases have broken previous records for the second consecutive day. On Friday, officials announced 1,119 new cases in the previous 24 hours.
The record before Friday was 911 confirmed cases in 24 hours, which was the count on Thursday. No additional deaths were announced.
Governor Gary R. Herbert issued the following statement regarding Friday’s case count:
“This is another alarming day for our COVID-19 case numbers,” he said, in a prepared statement. “We are clearly in an upward trend of cases.
“For months, we have warned people that they need to stay home if they are sick, and they need to stay away from others if they have tested positive for COVID-19. They need to wear a mask around others, even when they are not sick. We all need to consider the common public good when making daily decisions, and frankly, there is no room for lackadaisical behavior.
“This week’s spikes make me seriously question if these warnings and public education are enough.”
Herbert wrote that he would meet with Unified Command leadership again on Monday “to discuss needed interventions.
“I’d like to emphasize that all of the tools that government has for controlling the spread of COVID-19 are on the table,” Herbert said. “We are seriously considering each one of them.
“In the meantime, I am encouraged by discussions occurring between Utah County elected officials and am glad to see them consulting with public health experts and treating this spike in cases seriously.”
The 1,117 new cases bring Utah’s cumulative total to 61,775 positive cases. Total deaths remain at 427, which is the same number as Thursday.
The Utah Department of Health reports 743,737 tests performed, and increase of 8,559 since Thursday.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 726 per day. The rolling seven-day average for percent of positive laboratory tests is 12.5%.
Currently, 131 Utahns are hospitalized with COVID-19. Total hospitalizations from the beginning of the outbreak are 3,444.
Patients considered recovered, defined as still living three weeks after diagnosis, number 50,492. It is common for coronavirus patients to die more than three weeks after diagnosis.
To see the numbers broken down by area of the state, check the chart below.
