Kane County Adds 17 New COVID-19 Cases In The Past Week For A Total of 37

Kane County Adds 17 New COVID-19 Cases
In The Past Week For A Total of 37

By Josh Warburton and @KanabCovid19

Kane County COVID-19 Cases – Kane County did a good job of containing the three early COVID-19 cases that popped up in late March/early April. However, since June 8, four days before Kane County attained the Utah Health Department “Green” status, Kane County has added a total of 34 cases.

While at first there was a trickle of cases here and there, since July 9, cases have been added every day with the exception of just three days. There were two days with record highs, on July 15 when 5 cases were added, and July 20 when 7 cases were added. Just this past week Kane County added 17 cases.

Garfield and Beaver County,  which have had a similar growth pattern to Kane County, are also adding cases. Notable is that Garfield County has 22 cases but has already reported 2 deaths. It is a stark reminder to us all that COVID-19 is a dangerous disease – not just for the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.

Currently, Kane County’s COVID-19 numbers are doubling every 8.5 days. By comparison, Washington and Iron counties are now doubling around every 27 days. Doubling is an indicator of the exponential growth of a virus outbreak. It means that if you have 37 cases today and the doubling trend holds, you would have 74 cases 8.5 days later.

37 cases for Kane County means that 1 in 219 has or has had COVID-19. Kane County currently has 30 active COVID-19 cases; 7 cases are considered “recovered” because they are 3 weeks post-infection. It does not necessarily mean that someone is recovered; many people experiencing lasting medical problems that last longer than 3 weeks. However, for statistical purposes, this is the definition of recovered. 30 current cases means, 1 in 263 Kane County residents have COVID-19.

It is good to remember that research has shown that the reported case numbers are typically just the tip of the iceberg, and there are likely many more people infected that are not getting tested.

It is therefore incumbent on all of us to be extra cautious at this critical juncture and practice social distancing as strictly as possible. Remember that 6’ is the length of a short bed of a truck. If you can’t maintain 6’, wear a face covering. It’s tedious, and all of us are experiencing “COVID fatigue.” Remember that while getting COVID-19 may not be a death sentence for you, it can be for those you may infect. You can be asymptomatic and spread the disease. We must do the right things, protect each other, and bring out that community spirit that is so strong in Kanab. Let’s rise to the occasion and do everything we can to protect those in our community who are vulnerable and for whom this disease may mean terrible suffering.

To keep abreast of the daily Kane County COVID-19 numbers, follow @KanabCovid19 on Instagram or join the KanabCovid19 Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/kanabcovid19). Numbers and charts are posted there after the Utah Health Department and the Southwest Utah Health Department post case information, typically in the early afternoon, and their websites are https://swuhealth.org/covid/ and https://health.utah.gov/.