A clerk scans a can of sanitizing wipes as she checks out groceries behind a plexiglass panel at a Hy-Vee grocery store Thursday, March 26, 2020 in Overland Park, Kan. Stores have begun installing the shields in checkout aisles as a precaution to protect clerks and help stop the spread the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
SALT LAKE CITY– Utah’s coronavirus numbers are looking better and better. State officials are looking at residents as a reason Utah’s COVID-19 case counts have remained low compared to other states.
As of Monday, there are only 92 people hospitalized with Covid-19, and nearly 3,000 have recovered from the virus.
The state has almost 6,000 beds ready to treat patients, both in hospitals and at the Mountain America Expo Center.
Joe Dougherty with Utah Emergency Management said the state saw early on what was happening in other states and countries and state officials wanted to be prepared.
“Utah is known as a proactive state. Our state department of health owns all of those 250 hospital beds already that are set up at the Mountain America Expo Center right now. We have the ability to expand up to 1,000 if we need to,” he told Dave and Dujanovic.
Most cases are spread from a way that is easily traced to a family member or friend. Only about 16% of cases come from community spread.
“Thank you, Utah. Thank you for social distancing. Thank you for wearing a mask when you are out in public, for working from home when you can, for washing hands and using hand sanitizer, and all those things you are doing,” said Dougherty.
Utah also has a younger population without as many of the preexisting conditions that worsen the virus. Most of the cases going to the hospital are over 65 years old.
Utah is 31st among the states in the country for cases per capita. There have been 68 coronavirus-related deaths in Utah. Utah ranks 46th out of 51 states in deaths.