LOGAN – As Utah’s coronavirus cases continue to spike, state officials are turning the focus on college students in Utah County.
“We are experiencing a clear upward trend in case counts right now,” wrote state epidemiologist Angel Dunn. “The trend is being driven, in large part, by an increase in cases among college aged young adults in Utah County.
“Since last Friday, 39 percent of all new cases have come from Utah County, this despite the fact that Utah County’s population represents just 20 percent of the state’s population.”
The Monday report from the Utah Department of Health indicates 563 new cases in the last 24 hours, which continues to drive the seven-day rolling average for positive tests far above Gov. Herbert’s target of 400 tests a day. Monday it is 487 per day.
Also, Utah’s seven-day average for percent of positive lab tests is up to 9.8 percent.
The Bear River Health Department reported 20 positive cases in Northern Utah. It breaks down to 19 from Cache County and one from Box Elder County Monday.
There have been 2,854 positive cases over the course of the pandemic in the Bear River Health District, 2,365 in Cache County, 476 in Box Elder County and 13 in Rich County.
Of the 2,834 positives in the district, 2,480 are considered “recovered”. There are three patients hospitalized, all from Cache County.
There have been 11 deaths in the district, six in Cache County and five in Box Elder County.
On Monday there are 135 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah. From the beginning of the outbreak, total hospitalizations have grown to 3,338.
Also, the total number of positive cases detected since early-March has grown to 58,438.
Among those positive tests in Utah since the outbreak in March, 48,934 are considered recovered.
The have been 436 COVID-19 deaths in Utah which is three more than Sunday.
As of Monday 721,682 tests have been administered.
The most recent Idaho report indicates 35,279 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There have been 415 COVID deaths in the state with 64 positive tests in Franklin County, 31 positives in Bear Lake County and 22 in Oneida County.