On Tuesday evening, the Southeast Utah Health Department announced the presence of 58 active cases of COVID-19 in the region. Tuesday’s report also announced six new cases of the virus, including four in Grand County and one each in Carbon and Emery counties.
Since testing began, 13,422 COVID-19 tests have been administered throughout Carbon, Emery and Grand counties. Of these, 333 have been positive, 58 of which remain active. In the last seven days, Carbon County has had an average positive test rate of 20.30%. Emery County sits at 12% while Grand is at 7.80%.
“The current surge in cases is being driven by individuals from age 25-64,” the health department shared on Monday.
Carbon County leads the regions in confirmed cases with 173, 22 of which remain active as 150 have recovered. The lone death in the county came on Sunday when a man in the 65-84 age range that had been hospitalized passed away. Two Carbon County patients are currently hospitalized while seven others were formerly hospitalized.
Emery County has tallied 69 cases of the virus, 19 of which remain active as 48 have recovered. One Emery County patient is currently hospitalized while four others were formerly hospitalized. Two Emery County men in the 65-84 age range died due to COVID-19 last week.
In Grand County, 91 patients have tested positive for the virus. Of these, 17 remain active while 73 have recovered. No Grand County patients are hospitalized at this time; however, two were formerly hospitalized. One patient, a Grand County man over the age of 85, passed away due to the virus.
“Grand and Emery Counties currently have some of the highest rates of active cases in Utah,” the health department shared. “Despite these realities, in many ways, Carbon, Emery and Grand counties have been spared from the worst effects of the pandemic.”
As part of the total case count, the Southeast Utah Health Department also tracks cases involving students, teachers and staff at local schools as well as the university. Carbon School District has recorded 14 cases of the virus, one of which remains active while 13 have recovered. USU Eastern has tallied 10 cases, all of which have recovered.
In the Emery School District, there have been three cases of the virus, none of which remain active. In the Grand School District, there have been three patients, all of which have recovered. There have been no confirmed cases involving students or staff at Pinnacle Canyon Academy or Moab Charter School.
The age group with the most cases in the region is the 25-44 age group, which accounts for 35.44% total cases. The 44-64 age group comes in at 24.92% while the 15-24 group accounts for 21.31%. The remaining age groups, in descending order by percentage, are as follows: 65-84 (11.41%), 1-14 (5.71%), 85+ (.90%) and 0-1 (.30%).
“My plea to every resident and visitor to our area is to not let down your guard and continue to implement the simple changes that will help keep you and your neighbor healthy,” said Bradon Bradford, Southeast Utah Health Department Director. “Stay home from school or work if you are sick. Stay away from large gatherings if you are a high risk individual. Recommit to using your mask while you’re indoors and cannot socially distance. Remember to wash your hands more. Be kind and respectful to others. Remember that, for most of us, the consequences of COVID infection are minimal, but for certain high risk groups, they are devastating and even deadly.”
For case breakdowns, see the graphs below. For an interactive map that outlines case numbers by zip code, visit the Southeast Utah Health Department’s website.