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Utah County Attorney tests positive for the coronavirus

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah County Attorney David Leavitt in his Provo office on Thursday April 11, 2019. Leavitt is making some changes after winning his election. He plans to start a program to get low-level offenders into drug treatment or community service without ever filing criminal charges against them. And he'll start a conviction integrity unit — the second of its kind in Utah — that will look at the conduct of prosecutors and potential cases of wrongful conviction.

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Utah County Attorney David Leavitt has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office spokeswoman said Friday evening.

Leavitt had been ill for about 10 days, spokeswoman Sherrie Hall Everett said, and his COVID-19 test came back positive on Friday.

“I think this has been the all-time sickest I have been in my life,” Leavitt said in a statement Friday evening. “I have a lot of sympathy for those who may be fighting this virus and their families. I also hope that we will remember our first responders, medical personnel, and those fighting this pandemic. They are the ones at risk. Let’s not overwhelm the system and follow the guidelines to flatten the curve.”

Leavitt is recovering at home, but Everett said he’s been “pretty sick,” — though has not been hospitalized as of Friday evening.

Leavitt is also running for attorney general. Everett said she’s not sure how his diagnosis will affect that campaign.

She said that most of the attorneys in Leavitt’s office have been working from home for the last several weeks, but they have been notified about his positive test.

As of Friday afternoon, Utah County reported 150 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 11 hospitalizations. There were 45 new cases reported on Friday — a 42% spike from the day prior.