SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 167 from Wednesday, with one new reported death, according to the Utah Department of Health.

New COVID-19 cases

Thursday's totals give Utah 3,612 confirmed cases, with 301 hospitalizations and 35 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 3,445 cases in the state.

The person who died was a man over the age of 60 who was a resident of Salt Lake County, according to Utah Department of Health state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn. The man was a resident of a long-term care facility and was hospitalized when he died, she added.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, Dunn and others discussed the current coronavirus situation in the state at the daily Utah Department of Health press conference on Thursday afternoon. Watch the replay of the event below.

The new numbers indicate a 4.8% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 80,627 people tested in Utah so far, 4.5% 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.

As of Wednesday, the health department estimates that 1,050 people have recovered from the disease in Utah. Anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died is considered recovered, according to health officials.

Multicultural outreach group

Also Thursday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced the creation of a multicultural subcommittee of the Utah COVID-19 Community Task Force.

Byron Russell, co-chair of the Utah Multicultural Commission, and Ze Min Xiao, another member of the commission, will serve as co-chairs of the task force subcommittee.

The subcommittee will seek to increase outreach to minority groups and historically underserved communities by working with people on the front lines in those communities who understand the needs of those people, Russell said. Community advocates and faith-based organizations that work with those communities also will be working with the subcommittee.

"While the COVID-19 virus can infect anyone regardless of nationality, income or creed, data is showing a greater impact on minority or low-income communities," Russell said. "This subcommittee has been assembled to address those disparities."

Health department data has shown that some minority groups, especially Hispanics and Latinos, have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Hispanics and Latinos account for 33.4% of Utah's COVID-19 cases, despite making up just 14% of the state's population.

The multicultural subcommittee will aim to figure out what is causing that disparity and how to address it, Herbert said. A recent survey conducted by the Utah Multicultural Commission collected data regarding the needs of minority and underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health department's possible hydroxychloroquine purchase

The health department on Thursday addressed recent reports that the state of Utah had planned to purchase 200,000 units of hydroxychloroquine, a drug commonly used as a treatment for malaria. The drug is thought to also have potential, but so far unproven, uses in treating COVID-19.

In a health department news release Thursday afternoon, officials confirmed that the state had entered into preliminary negotiations with pharmaceutical supplier Meds in Motion to purchase the drug units. But as of Thursday, no contract has been signed by the health department to purchase them, the release said.

“We wanted to put ourselves in a position that if there were to be a shortage in the supply chain of hydroxychloroquine we were well-positioned to be able to provide medication to Utah residents who need it," Jefferson Burton, acting head of the Utah Department of Health, said in the release. "The good news is the supply chain has recently shown signs of stabilization.”

Dunn declined to comment Thursday afternoon on the potential purchase of the drug, saying that she had not yet seen the health department's statement on the issue and would defer to that statement.

COVID-19 in Utah's correctional facilities

So far, 45 cases of COVID-19 have been associated Utah correctional facilities, among inmates and staff at those facilities, Dunn said.

All have been in Salt Lake County thus far, she said. Among the cases, 27 have been in inmates and 18 in correctional facility staff.

All such facilities in Salt Lake County have ramped up their hygiene procedures in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19, Dunn said.

"The Salt Lake County Health Department has been doing excellent work in working with our correctional facilities to address these cases and prevent further spread," she said.

Inmates are screened for symptoms of the disease upon arriving at the facilities, and they are isolated immediately and given personal protective equipment if they are symptomatic.

Additionally, all new inmates are quarantined for 14 days before they are released into the general population in the facility. All inmates are monitored twice a day for COVID-19 symptoms. Any inmate found to have come in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case is quarantined, according to public health recommendations.

Employees of correctional facilities are also using protective equipment, such as masks, every day, Dunn said. They are also being screened for symptoms of COVID-19 at the beginning of their shifts.

"How Salt Lake County Health Department is working with the correctional facilities to protect inmates and employees is just another example of public health protecting our most vulnerable populations," Dunn said.

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