The Southwest Utah Public Health Department reported 107 new cases of COVID-19 in the region on Friday, bringing the total to 6,380. Of these, there were a reported 11 new cases in Iron County, bringing the county total to 976.
Southern Utah University saw a sharp increase of cases with 15 members of the campus community reporting a positive test result during the week of Oct. 22-28. This is almost twice as many cases as the school has seen in a single week since the fall semester began.
Meanwhile Utah’s statewide numbers have set another daily record with 2,292 new cases reported, breaking Thursday’s record of 2,281.
There were 10,346 new test results reported Friday with 22% receiving a positive result. This brings the weeklong percentage of tests coming back with a positive result to a staggering 18.2%.
Utah officials reported three new deaths Friday. These are a Salt Lake County man aged 25-44, a Tooele County man aged 44-65 and a Davis County man aged 65-84.
The Utah Department of Health reported 318 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of these hospitalizations, 133 are reported to be in an intensive care unit, contributing to the 72% usage of ICU beds.
As Utah continues experiencing a fall surge of the virus, Gov. Gary Herbert and Utah health officials are alarmed by the drastic rise in cases. In a media briefing Thursday, Utah leaders expressed concern over the strain placed on hospitals amid the growing case numbers.
“While it is true that Utah’s COVID-19 mortality rate is substantially lower than the national rate, we must not become numb to what these numbers mean for our communities.” Herbert cautioned.
As Halloween weekend begins, state leaders are encouraging Utahns to avoid large gatherings.
To plan for weekend activities, Utah residents can address a Georgia Institute of Technology interactive map that breaks down the potential risks of transmission within each Utah county based on health data and crowd size.
Story by: Mikyla Bagley
outdoors@suunews.net
Photo by: SUU News
