Utah’s coronavirus surge continues with a record-tying 676 new cases, but no new deaths reported

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Utah reported 676 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, tying with its highest reported number to date.

The Utah Department of Health reports there are 88 patients in ICU beds with the coronavirus — the highest number reported during the pandemic — and 68.4% of the state’s ICU beds are occupied. Thirty-six people with the disease went to hospitals Friday, bringing current hospitalizations to 193.

There have been 24,542 positive cases so far, and numbers reported on July 4 represent a 2.8% increase from the day before.

The state has had 181 reported coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, although the health department reported no new deaths Saturday.

As of Independence Day, 13,807 Utah cases have recovered from COVID-19.

The state last saw a record-setting 676 cases on June 26. Primary exposures this week include 40.4% from a known contact and 47.4% came from an unknown source or are still under investigation. Last week, 61.9% came from a known source and 20.3% were unknown or under investigation.

The Weber-Morgan and Davis health districts both reported their highest number of daily coronavirus cases, at 82 and 57, respectively. The Weber County jail is currently grappling with an outbreak, with 82 inmates testing positive as of Friday.

The Utah County Health District tied for its worst day, reporting 134 new cases. With 293 new cases, the Salt Lake County Health Department extended its streak of days with at least 200 cases. That now stands at 11.

The San Juan health district continues to be hit particularly hard, reporting 2,673 cases per 100,000 people — the highest rate in the state.

The state’s Hispanic population remains at high risk, representing 42.5% of Utah’s COVID-19 cases but only 14.2% of the population.

Of those hospitalized, more than one-third have diabetes, 22.2% have cardiovascular conditions and 19.2% are former smokers. Nine long-term care facilities currently have five or more infections, all located on the Wasatch Front. To date, 215 of these facilities have had COVID-19 patients, including 563 positive residents and 481 positive health care-workers.