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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 122 from Thursday, with two new reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Friday’s totals give Utah 2,805 confirmed cases, with 23 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 2,683 cases in the state.
The new numbers indicate a 4.5% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 55,771 people tested in Utah so far, 5% tested positive for COVID-19.
The total number of cases reported by the health department includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are infected now, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Both deaths reported Friday were in San Juan County, according to a health department news release. One was a woman over the age of 60 who had underlying medical conditions. The other was an older man who was under the age of 60 who also had underlying medical conditions.
Both people were hospitalized at the time of their deaths, the health department said.
San Juan County on Thursday revised its public health order as Utah leaders seek to restart the state's economy.
Utah health officials are not expected to hold a press conference Friday about the updated case numbers.
Utah saw its largest reported increase in testing, with 6,093 tests conducted between Thursday and Friday, according to the health department.
Friday is the first day that negative tests from TestUtah.com testing locations have been incorporated into the health department's data, according to the release. Those negative tests make up 3,388 of the 6,093 tests reported Friday.
Also Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert announced a new timeline for the state's "Utah Leads Together 2.0" plan for economic recovery. He now anticipates being able to reopen parts of the Utah economy, such as in-person dining, by early May, he said.
Additionally, restrictions for Utah's state parks have been lifted. Previously, they were open only to residents of the county where the park is located. As of Friday, Utah state parks will reopen to all visitors, Herbert said.
