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On Sunday, Utah reported 97 new positive cases of COVID-19 and just five new hospitalizations, raising the total number of cases to 2,303 and hospitalizations to 195 so far.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the state with a total of 18 due to the impact of the novel coronavirus.
The new amount of cases reflects 4.4% growth in the statistic, below average for the past week. The state reported the results of an additional 1,688 cases on Sunday.
The information means that the week of April 5-12 saw a 43% jump in cases, but a jump from eight to 18 deaths reported. Meanwhile, the U.S. as a whole has seen a 63% increase in cases over the past week, while facing 21,954 total deaths as of Sunday afternoon, compared to 9,636 at the beginning of the week. This week, the U.S. also surpassed Italy in terms of COVID-19 deaths to rank No. 1 in the world.
But Utah’s ranks relatively average, 29th, in the nation in terms of number of cases overall, and 23rd per capita. In addition, Utah’s death totals have stayed very low: the state’s 18 deaths ranks just 42nd in the nation, and 46th per capita.
Possible reasons for the disparity include Utah’s relatively robust testing, which ranks 7th in the U.S. — Utah may be finding less severe cases than other states. Utah’s relatively young population, one with a lower rate of comorbidities like heart disease, also helps matters.
Further good news is that the daily number of cases and deaths, in both Utah and the U.S., is starting to plateau. Roughly 30,000 cases of COVID-19 have been detected every day for the past week, resulting in about 2,000 deaths per day — a substantial number. Meanwhile, the 97 new cases reported Sunday by Utah meant that the new case tally had decreased in each of the past three days.
Salt Lake County reported 55 of the 97 new cases, while Utah County had 18 new cases. Davis County added six, Wasatch County five and Summit County four. The southwest and Weber-Morgan County areas both received three new cases of the disease, while Tooele County added two and the Bear River area added one.
This story will be updated.
