At the Aug. 4 meeting of the Grand County Council, Moab Regional Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jen Sadoff and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dylan Cole reported that the hospital has administered 3,227 tests for COVID-19.
Of those tests, 65 have come back positive: 45 of those cases are reported in the Southeast Utah Health Department’s case counts as Grand County residents; the other 20 are non-residents.
Over 6,500 tests have been conducted within the health department’s district, which includes Emery, Grand and Carbon counties. No deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.
Two Grand County patients have been hospitalized for the illness. One was later released. Sadoff reported that she was stunned to see “how very sick they were.”
“Sometimes we get fatigued with hearing about it and think, ‘how bad can this really be?’” she said. “It’s really bad.”
Utah is reporting 41,907 total cases of the coronavirus, with 321 deaths from the disease. The Utah Department of Health said 2,482 people have been hospitalized with the coronavirus.
Testing
Over 60 Grand County employers are participating in MRH’s asymptomatic testing program, which Cole described as “an early detection network” for community spread.
No positive cases have arisen from the program, which Cole believes is evidence that Grand County does not have widespread community transmission. However, he also lamented the limited scope of the program.
“We continue to be looking at a significant shortage in testing supplies,” Cole said.
Cole said wait times for test results at MRH are usually 3-5 days, but sometimes can go as long as a week. That turn-around time is not as bad as what Americans are experiencing in other parts of the country, but it’s enough to weaken the utility of the test.
Those who show any symptoms of COVID-19 are encouraged to get tested at Moab Regional Hospital. The tests are covered by insurance and there is no charge for those without health insurance.
To talk to a nurse about symptoms and schedule a test, call the Moab Regional Hospital COVID-19 hotline at 435-719-3998.
