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SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah's number of new COVID-19 cases crept past 500 Thursday, state officials urged people to remain vigilant in their efforts to stop the spread of the virus ahead of a holiday weekend.
Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 504 from Wednesday, with four more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Health department state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said Thursday the state has seen a "modest increase" in cases over the past week, and there is no specific reason for that increase. Dunn and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert urged Utahns to continue socially distancing, wearing masks and taking other precautions as fall approaches. With cooler weather coming that will bring more people indoors there is a higher risk that the disease may spread.
“Let’s take every possible measure to protect ourselves and our community this fall," Dunn said.
Herbert also announced he has formally approved requests from Salt Lake City and Sevier County to alter their COVID-19 risk levels. Salt Lake City will move from orange to yellow starting Friday at 10 a.m., and Sevier County will move from yellow to green.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, along with Utah Department of Health state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn, chief medical examiner Dr. Erik Christensen, and Herbert's education adviser Tami Pyfer, gave a COVID-19 update at a Thursday press conference. Watch the replay of the event below.
New COVID-19 cases
The state estimates that there are now 7,917 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 394, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 9.4%.
The new numbers indicate a 1% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 673,659 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 7.9% have tested positive for the disease. The number of tests conducted has increased by 5,234 as of Thursday, according to the health department.
There are currently 120 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, including 43 in intensive care unit, or ICU, beds. About 60% of all ICU beds in Utah are currently occupied, while about 48% of non-ICU beds are filled, state data shows.
The four deaths reported Thursday were all men who were hospitalized when they died. Two were Salt Lake County residents who were between the ages of 45 and 64. The third was a Salt Lake County resident who was over the age of 85, and the fourth was a Utah County resident who was between the ages of 65 and 84, according to the health department.
Thursday's totals give Utah 53,326 total confirmed cases, with 3,153 total hospitalizations and 414 total deaths from the disease. A total of 44,995 COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered in Utah.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah's outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district's website.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the "Data Notes" section at the bottom of the page.
Schools adjusting to reopening
A handful of schools have already activated COVID-19 contingency plans due to positive cases among students, teachers or staff, according to Herbert's education adviser Tami Pyfer. Pleasant Grove High School, American Preparatory Academy in Draper, and the Utah Military Academy at Camp Williams are among the schools that have altered their education plans.
All schools have plans in place that should be available on their websites, Pyfer added. The state has come up with trigger points that indicate when school administrators should start discussing moving to virtual learning or other education alterations, she said.
“This is appropriate and this has been planned for," Pyfer said.
The state's coronavirus dashboard lists 26 outbreaks in schools so far, with a total of 140 COVID-19 cases among them. An outbreak is defined as an instance of two or more cases associated with a setting outside a household and within 14 days of each other.
The median age for the school outbreaks is 17, and there have been seven hospitalizations so far, state data shows.
Dunn said the state is working to compile more data about COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in schools. However, the health department's surveillance system is brand new, so officials are doing data quality work to make sure that all the data is accurate and timely before debuting it to the public, she said.
Pyfer and Herbert said the state went into the fall school semester expecting to see some increase in cases, but getting students back to school is important enough to take the risk.
“We feel it’s so important for our students that we need to continue to try," Pyfer added.
Federal government distributing more tests
Herbert said Thursday the federal government will be purchasing and distributing 150 million units of rapid antigen tests, which can deliver COVID-19 test results in as little as 15 minutes.
The tests will give Utah an opportunity to "enhance" testing in the state, Herbert said. Units should be delivered to the state as soon as possible, he added.
Low testing has been a factor in Utah's pandemic for the past several weeks. More than 5,000 people were tested between Wednesday and Thursday, but that is still far lower than Utah's capacity for testing about 9,000 people per day.
The federal government has identified priority groups that will have first access to the additional antigen tests, according to Herbert. Those include first responders, educators, long-term care facility residents and workers, and critical infrastructure workers such as water or sewage employees, he said.
National news outlets reported this week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has instructed states to be prepared for a COVID-19 vaccine distribution in late October or early November.
Herbert said on Thursday he is expecting a vaccine to be available around the end of the year, or possibly around the end of the first quarter of 2021.
The state has been making preparations for vaccine distribution centers for the past several months, according to Dunn. Healthcare systems and pharmacies will work together to provide Utahns access to the vaccine when it becomes available, she said.
Dunn added that she is confident Utah will be able to handle the distribution of the vaccine effectively when it's available.
Herbert said state leaders will make sure to do their part to make sure Utah is ready for a vaccine.
He added that even though there has been some promising COVID-19 news recently, people must continue taking precautions to stop the spread of the disease. The upcoming Labor Day weekend represents a final opportunity to get out and enjoy summer activities, before cooler weather in the fall may force people to stay indoors more often, where there is a greater risk for the disease to spread.
Utah has experienced spikes in COVID-19 cases following holiday weekends this summer, particularly after Memorial Day. Herbert urged Utahns to be cautious this weekend to avoid a similar situation.
“We just want you to be careful," Herbert said. "Don’t be foolish in what you do."
