COVID-19 Update June 15,2020

Scroll down

LOADING...

Jun 14, 20203 min read

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Hope you had a great weekend. Last week, the Governor called the Legislature into a special session this week to address the economic impact due to COVID-19. Legislative proceedings will be live-streamed, recorded and shared publicly on le.utah.gov. With virtual interim committees happening this week, you can still participate via public comment remotely. Individuals wishing to participate in committee meetings may either email legislators directly or submit a request to provide public comment. You will have at least 12 hours before the committee meeting is scheduled to begin to submit a request form on the committee’s webpage. Read the full guideline and procedures here.

COVID-19

Health experts, economic advisors and elected officials are reviewing key factors to make data-driven recommendations to protect the vulnerable population and allow the state to continue to transition health risk phases and stay open. The metrics driving decisions include hospital utilization rates, the transmission rate and rate of community spread, as well as new insights about high-risk populations. Included below is updated information regarding the three key data factors.

Hospital Utilization Rate

As of June 10, ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients in Utah have averaged 11 percent of total capacity for the last 30 days. Hospital bed utilization is a primary indicator of the strain on the state’s healthcare capacity.

The graph below shows Utah’s ICU capacity from May 14 through June 10.

Transmission Rate and Community Spread

A transmission rate at or near 1:1 for 7-14 consecutive days indicates an adequate level of stability. As of June 6, the transmission rate in Utah has averaged 1.13 for the past 48 days.

As of June 8, the spread of the COVID-19 from known sources has been at 85 percent or greater for the past four weeks. The majority of known spread (58 percent) is from household members. Spread from known contacts above 60 percent is an indicator of stability and low levels of community spread.

Of those tested for COVID-19, only about 7 percent test positive. The graph below shows the number of COVID-19’s positive and negative tests from May 14 to June 10.

Lower-Risk Phase

The state is using data to help drive decisions on when parts of Utah can move to the green risk phase of the Utah Leads Together plan.

The green phase does not mean business as usual. Green is a lighter risk level, but it is not a return to normal. Though the state is transitioning to different phases, Utahns still need to take precautions, including physical distancing and wearing a face-covering in public to protect high-risk populations, washing hands and staying home when ill.

This new phase will allow nearly all Utah businesses the opportunity to activate a plan to open safely and help the economy move forward while still protecting the vulnerable. Specific areas across the state experiencing an increase in cases will continue to have the flexibility to stay or transition back to higher-risk health guidelines based on real-time data.

The green phase of the Utah Leads Together plan will limit 3,000 attendees to indoor venues and 6,000 attendees to outdoor venues. The guidelines are currently being revised and are scheduled to be released next week. A draft of the guidelines can be found here.

While most of the state is in the yellow risk phase of the Utah Leads Together plan, Kane County is transitioning to the green, the lowest risk phase, and Bluff and Mexican Hat will move to yellow with Salt Lake City remaining in the orange risk phase. Read more about the phases here.

Activities

With many places opening up slowly, here are some places you and the family can start planning for:

Hyrum Lake State Park is now open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. More details here.
The Lee Kay Public Shooting Range is beginning to reopen starting Friday, June 5. Read more here.
Great Performances brings the performing arts to a television audience. Their website presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama and performance documentaries. You can watch a variety of performances here.
Garth Brooks will host drive-in concerts throughout the country, including in Utah. Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 19. Learn more here.
Deseret Industries stores and donation centers are beginning to reopen in Utah. Read more here.