University of Utah Health employees test residents for COVID-19 at the Sugar House Health Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — Eighty-seven new cases of COVID-19 in Utah were reported on Monday, bringing the state’s total of confirmed cases to 806.
One additional death from the disease was also confirmed, bringing the state’s total to four.
The latest case reported was a patient in Salt Lake County between the ages of 18 and 60, said Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health.
Health officials have not released additional information about the patient. But family members say 24-year-old Silvia Deyanira Meléndez died Saturday at University Hospital from the disease. Her case was not reflected in the Utah Health Department’s weekend tally of deaths.
Just over 16,000 Utahns have now been tested for COVID-19 — an increase of more than 2,000 tests since Sunday.
Eight percent with the disease have required hospitalization, and 44% of those hospitalized have required intensive care, Gov. Gary Herbert said during a news briefing Monday.
The state is currently in the “urgent” phase of its response to the pandemic, which includes ramping up testing. About 2,000 tests are being administered every day, but health officials want to increase that number to 7,000, Herbert said.
Health officials’ current goals include slowing down transmission and preserving hospital resources.
The State Office of Management and Budget is working with hospital medical teams to determine bed capacity and needs. Herbert said 512 intensive care unit beds are available in the state, “which maybe seems like a lot, but it’s not a lot.” If the state doesn’t bend the curve, the system could become overwhelmed, he said.
Addressing criticism that the state hasn’t publicly released demographics on its COVID-19 monitoring website, Herbert said that is in the works and will become part of publicly-shared information soon.
“The next two weeks are critical if we’re going to be able to do this. And everybody has a role to play and everybody needs to be engaged,” he said, reiterating the encouragement given in Friday’s directive for residents to “stay home and stay safe” and employers to ensure physical distancing between workers.
Herbert also thanked “our young people ... for what they’re doing to slow the spread of coronavirus.” For teenagers especially, it’s “not easy,” he said, “but they are the key to our success.”
Young people need to know they’re not immune to the disease or “invincible,” the governor noted, adding that they are actually more susceptible than originally believed.
A breakdown of the Utah COVID-19 cases by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 360 residents, 3 nonresidents
- Summit County, 167 residents, 9 nonresidents
- Davis County, 77 residents
- Utah County, 57 residents, 1 nonresident
- Wasatch County, 44 residents, 1 nonresident
- Weber-Morgan, 39 residents
- Southwest Utah, 15 residents, 5 nonresidents
- Bear River Health Department, 13 residents
- Tooele County, 9 residents
- San Juan County, 4 residents
- TriCounty Health Department, 1 resident
- Southeast Utah, 1 resident
The University of Utah School of Medicine announced it is holding a donation drive this week for protective gear to distribute as needed throughout the community health care system.
The school is seeking N95 respirator masks and other face masks — including surgical masks, masks used by painters, carpenters and hobbyists — medical or disposable gloves, eye protection goggles, face shields, medical or disposable gowns or aprons, hand sanitizer of all sizes and disinfectant wipes. Boxes that are already open will be accepted, but used gloves or masks will not be accepted.
Items can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday at the Trolley Square additional parking lot, 650 E. 900 South.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
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