3 Deaths, 394 Confirmed Cases In Latest Utah Coronavirus Report

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Nearly 400 new coronavirus tests have come back positive in Utah, after the two highest single days since the pandemic began. Another three people have died.

Officials with the Utah Department of Health said 158 Utahns have died of COVID-19 related illnesses – an increase of three deaths.

The deaths were reported in three counties across the state. A Salt Lake County woman between the ages of 45 to 64 was hospitalized at the time of her death.

Officials said two males from Utah and Washington Counties also succumbed to the disease. Both were between the ages or 65 to 84. One had been hospitalized and the other was living in a long-term care facility.

The state reported 17,462 total positive cases in the Beehive State, with 394 new cases.

Numbers reported the last two days were the highest single-day increase on record, with 643 Saturday and 596 Friday.

Utah has experienced a surge in new cases since Memorial Day, which was also two weeks after Governor Gary Herbert moved most of the state to “Yellow” risk status.

State epidemiologist Angela Dunn called the surge of new cases “concerning.”

Half of the new cases reported Sunday came in Salt Lake County, with 191 additional positive cases. Of those daily numbers Utah County reported 80, Davis County has 34 and 25 were in the Bear River Health District, where there was an outbreak at a meat processing plant.

Of the 158 deaths in the state, 102 have been Salt Lake County residents. The next health district reporting the most deaths was Utah County, with 21. The Southwest District has had 10 deaths.

State health officials said 296,395 tests have been conducted in Utah, including 3,518 since Saturday.

Officials also said the state’s rate of positive tests has increased to 5.9 percent. The rate for tests given in the last day was over 11 percent.

Hospitals were currently treating 169 positive COVID-19 cases, with 23 new cases in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,184 people have been hospitalized since the pandemic began.

The number of cases considered “recovered” was 9,659.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 120,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States as of Sunday, with over 2.2 million positive cases.

There have been nearly 462,000 deaths across the world, with 8.7 million confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Coronavirus Resources

• Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL TV wants to hear from you. Contact KSL by emailing social@ksl.com.
• What is COVID-19? Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Healthy
• What We Know And Don’t Know About The Coronavirus
• Four Common Coronavirus Questions Answered
• The latest coronavirus stories from KSL TV can be found at our Staying Safe: Coronavirus section.
• Your Life Your Health: How can parents prepare their home, children against coronavirus?

How Do I Prevent It?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

How To Get Help

If you’re worried you may have COVID-19, you can contact the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707 to speak to trained healthcare professionals. You can also use telehealth services through your healthcare providers.

Additional Resources

If you see evidence of PRICE GOUGING, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wants you to report it. Common items in question include toilet paper, water, hand sanitizer, certain household cleaners, and even cold medicine and baby formula. Authorities are asking anyone who sees price gouging to report it to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601 or 800-721-7233. The division can also be reached by email at consumerprotection@utah.gov.