ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4 News) — Three long-term care facilities in St. George have now confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks, and a second resident who tested positive for the virus at one of the facilities has died, according to the Utah Department of Health.
A Washington County man between the ages of 65-84, a resident of one of the long-term care facilities, died over the weekend, marking southwestern Utah’s 10th COVID-19-related death, public health officials said.
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Sterling Court, an assisted living facility at 324 North 1680 East, confirmed with ABC4 News that one of its male residents has tested positive.
A spokesperson at Sterling Court said the individual is doing “well” and staff morale remains high, and officials are working with the National Guard and public health officials to conduct contact tracing and test all residents and staff.
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St. George Rehabilitation and the Wentworth senior living community each have more than five active cases. With visitors prohibited from entering, the state says residents contract the virus through the staff, some who may be asymptomatic.
“We’ve definitely been, I don’t want to say recommending, but we’ve definitely said that Southwest Utah would benefit from considering going back into orange and that’s for the past couple of weeks,” state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn told southern Utah media Friday.
Dunn said the 5-county region, consisting of Washington, Iron, Kane, Garfield, and Beaver counties, has one last “window of opportunity” to reduce cases “before it becomes unmanageable.
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department is reporting 1103 total confirmed cases, including:
- 48 new cases
- 710 total recovered
- 22 currently hospitalized
- 10 deaths
- 17,441 tests performed
- Washington County: 864
- Iron County: 224
- Kane County: 5
- Beaver County: 2
- Garfield County: 9
