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ST. GEORGE — The number of those hospitalized in Southern Utah for the coronavirus went up 75% in one day on Thursday, and the medical director of Dixie Regional Medical Center said the hospital is now dealing with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Patrick Carroll, medical director of Dixie Regional Medical Center, said coronavirus hospitalizations at DRMC alone have doubled since the weekend.
“The reality is, all of our planning has been we’ve just been planning. We’re now seeing the reality of this. It’s a bit sobering,” Carroll said. “This is the key point with infectious diseases. When people affect more than one person, we get exponential growth. The curve is not flat. It’s in an exponential phase in Washington County right now. It’s hard to not call this a surge event.”
According to the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, the area set a new high for cases in one day Thursday as Washington County marched past its 300th infected resident. There were 25 new cases reported, 21 of which were in Washington County, and the number of those hospitalized increased to 14.