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SALT LAKE CITY — On Thursday, Utah's number of new COVID-19 cases rose above 300 in one day for only the second time so far during the pandemic, as health officials continue investigating a recent spike in cases.
The number of COVID-19 cases increased by 316 from Wednesday in Utah, with no new reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Thursday’s totals give Utah 10,813 total confirmed cases, with 850 total hospitalizations and 117 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 10,497 cases in the state.
The new numbers indicate a 3% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 227,507 tests conducted in Utah so far, 4.8% were positive for COVID-19. There were 3,526 tests conducted from Wednesday to Thursday.
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.
The health department now estimates there are 4,068 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. Another 6,628 cases of the disease are considered recovered. Anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago who has not died is considered recovered from the disease.
Twenty-one more people were hospitalized with the disease from Wednesday to Thursday, and there are currently 118 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Utah.
There is not a COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Thursday. Utah officials provide updates at news conferences once a week on Wednesdays.
At this week's news conference, health department state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said officials are investigating a statewide spike in COVID-19 cases. She stressed the importance of following the state's social distancing and hygiene guidelines, especially as more aspects of the Utah economy begin reopening.
“It’s not this simple act of loosening restrictions that causes cases to increase, it’s what we do in society and with our actions that can cause COVID-19 to spread more readily," Dunn said Wednesday.
