SALT LAKE CITY-Per statements from biostatisticians at the University of Utah, the Beehive State may reach its peak of COVID-19 cases Friday.
This projection is two weeks ahead of the date given by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation which reported Utah would reach its peak April 25.
The team at the University of Utah has formulated its predictions using data from how the pandemic fared in Italy which has seen its cases plateau per statements from Fares Qeadan, an assistant professor of biostatistics in the division of public health at the UofU.
Qeadan and his group are not predicting a potential number of deaths for Utah because the state has not had enough of them to make reliable projections.
The University of Washington’s model projected 186 potential deaths but did not take geographical lifestyle factors into consideration.
Utah state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn continually says during her appearances at Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s daily briefings that Utah is honoring social distance regulations. This, she says, is why the Beehive State is doing better than neighboring states. This is true of every neighboring state with the exception of Wyoming, which has under 10 coronavirus cases throughout the state.
Dunn and Herbert have both said, however, that if restrictions are going to be loosened in Utah, the number of COVID-19 cases must start dropping.
It would appear that the peak would bring this about.
