SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 170 from Thursday, with four new reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health.

New COVID-19 cases

Friday's totals give Utah 3,782 confirmed cases, with 315 hospitalizations and 39 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 3,612 cases in the state.

The new numbers indicate a 4.7% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 84,697 people tested in Utah so far, 4.5% have tested positive for COVID-19. From Thursday to Friday, 4,070 people were tested for the disease.

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.

Three of the four people who died were residents of long-term care facilities, according to Utah Department of Health state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn. The fourth person was hospitalized when they died and had underlying medical conditions, she said.

Three of the four who died were residents of Salt Lake County, and the fourth was a Utah County resident, Dunn said.

As of Thursday, the health department estimates that 1,252 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Utah. Anyone who was diagnosed with the disease three or more weeks ago and has not died is considered recovered.

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

Hydroxychloroquine purchases under review

Also Friday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert discussed the state's controversial purchase of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial treatment drug thought to have potential, but unproven benefits in treating COVID-19.

Herbert said he was not personally made aware of an $800,000 purchase of the drug administered by the state on March 31.

The Governor's Office of Management and Budget authorized the purchase of 20,000 doses of the drug from Meds in Motion, a Utah pharmaceutical company that has stockpiled a supply of the drug. Herbert said he hopes that the state will be able to get a refund for that deal.

The Utah Department of Health was negotiating another purchase of 20,000 units earlier this week, but negotiations for additional purchases of the drug have ceased, according to Herbert.

The situation is under review by the state's legal counsel, he added. He also said the state has asked that any questions regarding hydroxychloroquine be removed from the public health survey on TestUtah.com, the site that Silicon Slopes companies have set up in coordination with the state of Utah to coordinate COVID-19 testing.

Helping high-risk populations and minority communities

State officials continue to assess how best to reach Utah's minority groups and high-risk individuals that are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

State data has shown that some Utah ethnic minority groups, including Hispanics and Latinos, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Thursday, Herbert announced the creation of a multicultural subcommittee on the state's coronavirus task force that will also focus on addressing issues facing underserved communities and minority groups as the pandemic continues.

And Friday, six ethnic minority legislators announced they have formed a COVID-19 response program that will aim to help members of underserved populations deal with the ongoing crisis.

Additionally, Herbert said Friday he has asked the Utah Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission to come back to him with recommendations regarding concerns over Utah's high-risk populations.

He has requested that the commission's guidelines include specific details on how best to communicate the state's directions to those populations, how to address people who are at risk in those communities and need to go back to work, how to support businesses when they are serving high-risk populations, and how much it will cost the state to provide that support.

"I need to be certain that we're doing all we can for those who are going to be most vulnerable as we, in fact, shift into a more moderate situation than we've had in the past," Herbert said.

Herbert did not say when he asked the 10-person commission, which does not include any members of minority ethnic groups, to deliver those recommendations.

Dunn said starting next week, testing will be offered at Utah Partners for Health Clinic in Midvale on Tuesdays and Thursdays in an effort to provide more testing access for those high-risk groups. Testing will be free at the clinic, she added.

Transitioning to the 'new normal'

Herbert said he has also asked the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission to come up with recommendations on how to better understand if there are some geographical areas in the state that are of more concern than others.

State leaders recognize that there may be some variation in COVID-19 response needs depending on the geographical areas of the state, he said. So he has asked the group how to consider differing needs by region as the state prepares to open back up some aspects of the economy.

Herbert is also asking people to be prepared for and get ready for a "new normal" as the state aims to reopen some aspects of the economy in the coming weeks, such as restaurants and other businesses.

"We want people to be ready and anticipate that this is going to happen," Herbert said. "This is not something we're just taking out of thin air. ... This is something we're doing based on data, and we're looking at the important data we have."

The Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission has recommended to Herbert that the state transition to a more moderately restrictive economic state. The recommendation is currently under review, Herbert said, but he anticipates that transition occurring around May 1.

The most visible aspect of the transition likely will be allowing restaurants to resume in-house dining, rather than the curbside and delivery system under which those establishments are currently operating, Herbert said.

However, those places will need to make some major changes, and the situation will not look like it did before the pandemic began, Herbert said. For instance, employees will need to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before going into work, and tables inside the restaurants will need to be spaced out so that customers can still observe social distancing recommendations.

Herbert also again stressed the need to observe heightened hygiene practices. People should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their faces, and refrain from shaking hands with others.

People should also wear masks if they are in public places in close contact with others, he said. That will not only help protect you, but also will protect others around you from contracting the disease if you are unknowingly carrying it, he added.

“That’s a good thing and we need to do it," Herbert said. "It’s an easy thing to do, but we need more participation."

For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.

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