The second death related to the coronavirus has been reported in Utah on Friday.
State epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said in the briefing at 1 p.m. on Friday that this individual was from the south-western part of the state and died in a hospital in Salt Lake County. The individual was an adult under the age of 60 with underlying medical conditions.
The state's case count increased by 78 on Friday, the second-highest increase in confirmed cases since testing began. This is the highest increase since 81 cases were announced on Sunday. Dunn said the spread rate in the state is at 19%. She also said while Utah has not seen the exponential increase other states have, it is too soon to know if social distancing measures are enough.
The Tri-County Health Department, which covers most of the Uintah Basin, and the San Juan health department, both reported their first confirmed cases on Friday as well.
Jack Meersman, a representative from Gold Cross, also spoke on Friday and gave an update and emergency medical services at this time. He said precautions are being taken to prevent EMS workers form being infected and spreading the virus and that they are considering stopping patient transportation.
The entire 1 p.m. press conference can be watched here.
The most recent updates on the virus in the state can be found here.
Editor's note: The number of confirmed cases in this story has been corrected to 78. The original number the state announced was incorrect.
