Utah sees its largest daily rise with 343 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

A worker walks in front of the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 29, 2020. The facility has had a COVID-19 outbreak. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Too soon to tell if large daily uptick represents a trend, epidemiologist says

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah officials on Friday confirmed the largest daily rise in COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began, with 343 confirmed cases since Thursday.

Those new cases bring the Beehive State’s total to 9,264, according to the Utah Department of Health. Just over 2,300 more people were tested, of whom there was a nearly 15% positive rate.

Although Friday brought a large jump in cases, officials say it’s too soon to know if the numbers indicate an upward trend.

“While 343 new cases is the largest, single-day increase we have reported since the beginning of this outbreak, I would caution against jumping to conclusions on what this particular data point might mean,” Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, said in a statement.

“Comparing weekly cases over the past two weeks, we have seen a 3% increase in daily cases. Specifically, we have seen 1,197 new cases in the current week, compared to 1,162 cases in the week prior,” she said.

Another death was also confirmed Friday, a Salt Lake County woman over age 85 who was a resident in a long-term care facility. She brings the state’s coronavirus death toll to 107.

Nineteen more people required hospitalization for the virus, bringing the current number of people hospitalized in Utah to 101.

In Utah, 5,813 people are considered recovered from COVID-19 after passing the three-week point since their diagnoses.

This week’s increase in cases over last week “could partially be explained by the lull we experienced in testing over the holiday weekend. It could also be that we are experiencing an actual uptick in cases, including in localized areas that are experiencing outbreaks, such as in the Salt Lake veteran’s nursing home,” according to Dunn.

On Thursday, the state announced that 41 residents and 17 staffers at the William E. Christoffersen Veterans Home tested positive for COVID-19.

Although Utah moved to its low-risk phase on May 1, the risk of contracting the disease remains, Dunn noted. More cases were expected when the state lowered its risk level and allowed more businesses to reopen.

But the transmission rate remains low, with each case passing the virus on to an average of about one other person, Dunn said. Intensive care unit use in Utah hospitals also remains below capacity.

“We will continue to watch our daily case counts closely, with the goal of preventing widespread, community transmission,” Dunn said.

She urged continued vigilance.

“We all have a responsibility to be proactive and to do the things we know will help limit the spread of this virus: stay home if you’re sick, practice good hand hygiene, maintain social distancing, and when that’s not possible, wear a mask,” she said.

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