The Utah Department of Health reported just over 2,000 new cases on Friday while Summit County reported 25 and Wasatch County 34. Although numbers are down at the end of the week, there is a catch.
The Health Department said on Friday the day’s numbers may be artificially low after server maintenance was performed to the state’s data system, temporarily taking it offline.
Test results that were reported during the maintenance period do not show up in Friday’s report of 2,183 new cases and it is unclear just how many cases were left out. Those cases will be included in Saturday’s numbers.
Summit and Wasatch County saw a reduction in cases as well with Summit reporting 25 and Wasatch 34. Wasatch County has experienced a dip in cases this week after an all-time high rolling average on December 6th of 50 cases.
Wasatch County’s seven-day rolling average of positive cases is now 35.6.
The statewide rolling seven-day average now sits at 2,702 cases per day and the average of positive laboratory tests is at an even 26%. One week ago, the average was 25.2%.
The Health Department is also rolling out a new automated system on Friday to aid contact tracing efforts. The tracing is already part of the State’s existing system but automating certain aspects of the process will aid the workflow of the department’s investigators, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn.
568 Utahns are currently hospitalized with the disease and statewide referral center ICUs, where the majority of COVID-19 patients go, are an alarming 96.7% full.
9 additional statewide deaths were also reported on Friday, bringing the state death toll to 1,025. All deaths were over the age of 45 and none were from either Summit or Wasatch County.
Masks are required in public statewide until further notice and gatherings are strongly encouraged to be fewer than ten people.
