SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Health officials counted 343 new COVID-19 cases in southwestern Utah on Friday, the highest single-day increase in the state since daily counts started in March.
It’s too soon to know if the spike shows an upward trend, health officials said.
“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,” she added. “Specifically, we have seen 1,197 new cases in the current week, compared to 1,162 cases in the week prior.”
The one-day spike could be the result of what Dunn called a “lull” attributed to the Memorial Day weekend. Or there could be an uptick in cases, including outbreaks like one happening at the Salt Lake Veterans Home.
On Wednesday, health officials counted 25 new COVID-19 cases in southwestern Utah, the highest single-day increase for that region.
The new data brings the total number of cases in Utah since the pandemic began to 9,264. There have been 107 coronavirus-related deaths in the state, which is an increase of one after the death of a Salt Lake County woman who was living in a long-term care facility.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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