COVID-19 Update

By Robert Stevens

Managing editor

7-9-2020

In just two short weeks, the balance of COVID-19 numbers in the Central Utah Public Health Department (CUPHD) has changed dramatically.

The last time the Messenger reported on COVID-19 numbers and testing, Sanpete County had the most cases out of all the counties in the CUPHD. But now Millard County has steamrolled from one of the very lowest case counts to the clear leader after increasing more than six times over in the last two weeks.

Millard went from 12 cases to 73 confirmed cases, and with only 18 recovered, that means 55 of their cases are currently active. All of these new cases have been contact traced in origin to either contact with another individual within the community, or community transmission from latent exposure.

Millard County’s meteoric rise in case count is possibly cause for alarm, but right here in Sanpete the numbers are still climbing too. Sanpete County is firmly in the second-highest case count, with 66 current cases and two active hospitalizations, down from four last week. Of the total case count, 40 have recovered, leaving 26 active cases currently in the county.

Sevier County is next in line, having 52 confirmed cases, 33 of which are recovered. There is one active hospitalization in Sevier as well.

Juab County saw some growth in numbers as well, coming in now at 26 confirmed cases, 16 of which are active.

Piute County doubled their two cases, coming in now at four, half of which are active.

The total COVID-19 cases for the CUPHD measure 221 now; and 6868 people in the district have been tested. In all, the district has 11 total hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported yet by the health department.