Utah sees biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases in a month

Stock image. | Photo by kovop58, iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The state of Utah saw on Sunday its largest single-day jump in coronavirus cases since April 4 according to the Utah Department of Health.

Korene Atene, a certified nursing assistant with the Monument Valley Health Center, gets information from people lined up to get tested for COVID-19 outside of the center in Oljato-Monument Valley, San Juan County, Utah, on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
| Photo by Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via Associared Press, St. George News

The state reported 194 new positive cases of the COVID-19 virus Sunday for a total of 5,175 people tested positive since the first reported case of the virus in Utah on March 6.

The total was the largest single-day jump since April 3, when 203 statewide tested positive for the virus. If there is a silver lining to the numbers, it still represents a 3.7% increase in the overall COVID-19 rate, which is on par for where it has been in the past few weeks.

In Southern Utah, the Southwest Utah Public Health Department reported five new cases. Four of those cases were in Washington County, which has now had 70% of the COVID-19 cases among the five local counties. There have been 108 confirmed cases in Southern Utah, 76 of which have been in Washington County.

A map by the Utah Department of Health show the case rates of those who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus as of May 3, 2020. | Map courtesy Utah Department of Health, St. George News

The state reported its 50th death Sunday, a woman between 45 and 64 in Salt Lake County. There have been two fatalities in Southern Utah.

The state reduced its coronavirus risk level to orange on Friday which ended the “stay safe, stay home” recommendations for Utahns who are not at high risk for dying of the virus.

Just to the east of Southern Utah, San Juan County has seen the largest surge of cases in the state in the last week and has now become the third-worst hot spot in the state and the only one south of Salt Lake City.

The county, which includes a portion of the Navajo reservation, has seen its case total nearly double in the last three days. Because of the surge in cases, the Navajo Police Department started to enforce a weekend curfew for the tribe by setting up checkpoints along roadways and issuing citations to curfew violators.

San Juan County has had 100 positive cases of the virus, but 31 of the cases were reported on Friday.

COVID-19 information resources

Southern Utah coronavirus count (as of May 3, 2020)

Positive COVID-19 tests: 108, with 69 recoveries.

  • Washington County: 76 (4 new)
  • Iron County: 26 (1 new)
  • Garfield County: 3
  • Kane County: 3
  • Beaver County: 0

Deaths: 2

  • Washington County: 1
  • Iron County: 1

Hospitalized: 4

Tested: 6,101

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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