SALT LAKE CITY — As the number of confirmed Utah cases of COVID-19 jumped significantly to 257 on Monday, health officials said they’ve now discovered that the rate of illness is consistent among all adults over the age of 25 in the Beehive State.
“So this is telling us that all adults are susceptible to COVID-19,” not just older adults, Dr. Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, said Monday. But those over age 65 are more likely to need hospitalization.
Older adults and immunocompromised people had been thought to be more susceptible to the illness.
Just over 5,000 people have been tested for the virus, which is up about 1,500 since Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Health. Just over 5% of those tested have returned positive results. The state reported an additional 75 confirmed cases since Sunday.
About 10% of coronavirus patients in Utah have been hospitalized.
University of Utah Health on Monday also announced it has an increased testing capacity with its partner ARUP Laboratories able to process 1,500 COVID-19 tests each day already. ARUP anticipates soon having an increased capacity of 3,000 tests per day as supplies remain available.
Drive-thru testing sites are located in front of the U. Health’s Sugar House, South Jordan, Farmington and Redwood clinics, with the Park City clinic getting a site this week. The health care organization prefers that patients have a virtual visit with a provider before seeking testing.
The system anticipates increased demand for testing and is offering it to those who are symptomatic and who want it, officials said during a virtual news conference.
The time it takes to get results back differs depending on the severity of a case, with more severe cases — including patients already in hospitals and health care workers — returned within 24 hours, said Dr. Kim Hansen, ARUP clinical microbiology section chief.
Due to the increased testing capacity, Dunn said Utah does not have a large backlog of those waiting for testing currently. But the ability to keep up with demand will depend on the availability of the reagent and supplies required to run the test, she said.
Social distancing
As the case count continues to grow, state and local officials continue pleading with residents to follow social distancing orders and recommendations.
Lagoon officials announced Monday that the amusement park will not open this weekend as originally planned.
“This will be the first time since the end of WWII that Lagoon has not opened on schedule for any reason other than an inclement weather day. Our understanding is that the Davis County Health Department directive is set to expire on April 1, but could be extended. The situation is fluid. Therefore, we plan to update this announcement at the beginning of each week to share our plans,” park officials said in a statement.
Photos shared on social media over the weekend of large groups greeting missionaries returning home early at the Salt Lake City International Airport prompted Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to post a video cautioning against such gatherings.
“This is not OK. This isn’t safe for those missionaries, for those families, for the people who are coming to celebrate. This is the way the disease spreads,” she warned.
City officials are working with the airport and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make sure such scenes aren’t repeated.
“So keep doing what most of you are doing. Keep staying 6 feet apart. Stay home when you can. I know that this is a scary time. ... And as much as you can support them from home, or from a safe distance ... we really encourage you to do so,” Mendenhall said.
The city later Monday issued a guideline for those picking up missionaries. They are now required to wait in their cars in the airport’s short-term parking garage, and the missionaries will be directed by airport staff to them, city officials said in a statement. Only one car is allowed to be there for a missionary.
“These guidelines are common-sense measures that reflect what we have previously directed families to do,” Eric Hawkins, spokesman for the church, said in the city’s statement. “It is imperative that missionaries and their families adhere to these guidelines for their own safety, the safety of their families, and the safety of the community.”
Dunn, responding to questions about the airport gathering, said there’s no evidence that the virus spread during those large groupings, but it’s the type of activity that we should all avoid at this time.
The incident, however, has not prompted conversations in the state government about the possibility of stricter public health orders, Dunn said.
Summit County orders
The Summit County Health Department, which has seen the second-highest number of cases in the state, issued a new public health order Monday prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people except in grocery stores and households with more than 10 people. Those who violate the order could face a class B misdemeanor, according to a statement from the department.
Last week, however, after both Salt Lake and Summit counties issued similar orders, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert ordered the state health department to change its order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 to make it a recommendation instead.
Herbert said he believed Utahns would “use good common sense” in applying the crowd limit, “not that this was going to become a police state and they were going to be prosecuted for any kind of violation.”
Monday’s Summit County order also:
• Adds restrictions on construction workers, requiring them, among other things, to wash their hands “often,” not congregate for lunch, and not share tools or protective equipment.
• Requires hair, nail and tanning salons to operate at 50% or less occupancy, keep 6-foot distancing between people inside their businesses, close lobbies to clients, implement frequent cleaning measures and screen clients before they come in.
• Requires physical therapy clinics to offer only essential therapy, screen clients for symptoms before they come in, and frequently clean their facility.
• Directs child care providers to screen children and employees when they arrive at the facility each day, question parents when they drop off their children about whether family members are sick, restrict groups to 10 people or less within the facility, and ensure frequent hand-washing.
“Every health order we enact is to protect public health in Summit County,” said Rich Bullough, the county’s health director. “We are in the fight against COVID-19 for the long haul. Each proactive step we take today saves weeks and months of reactive measures down the road. Our efforts will be magnified by the cooperation of our communities.”
Utah announced its first death from the virus on Sunday, a Bountiful man over 60 with underlying health conditions.
The man attended the Bountiful Utah Temple last week before he died on Sunday, according to a church spokeswoman. Hours after his death was announced, the church announced the closure of the temple, the church’s first in Utah to close due to the pandemic. On Monday the church also announced its Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, which has been closed for maintenance, will remain closed for an additional week “due to a potential COVID-19 exposure.”
BYU announced Monday its first case of a student testing positive for COVID-19. The student, who has returned home, was enrolled in classes on campus this semester. The student lived off campus and the property manager has contacted the other residents, according to the school’s website.
A breakdown of the Utah COVID-19 cases by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 109 residents, 3 nonresidents
- Summit County, 65 residents, 8 nonresidents
- Davis County, 29 residents
- Weber-Morgan, 8 residents
- Utah County, 11 residents, 1 nonresident
- Southwest Utah, 5 residents
- Wasatch County, 11 residents, 1 nonresident
- Tooele County, 2 residents
- Bear River Health Department, 4 residents