COVID-19 continues to impact county though hospitalization and death rates begin to drop

COVID-19 is still impacting San Juan County as the number of local cases of the worldwide pandemic continues to grow.

In the one week between November 10 and November 17, 67 county residents tested positive for COVID-19 and there are currently 130 active cases.

The number of active cases more than doubled in the Montezuma Creek / Aneth area, from 17 to 35 and grew slightly in the Blanding area from 43 to 47.

Active cases in the Monticello area dropped from 35 to 29. Monticello has been the local hotspot in recent weeks.

In Utah, Governor Gary Herbert implemented a state of emergency on November 9 that will extend at least through November 23.

The virus continues to grow throughout the region, with nearly 1,000 new cases on the Navajo Nation in the past week.

The unabated growth triggered stay-at-home orders in New Mexico and a three-week lockdown order on the Navajo Nation. Public schools have been closed through the New Year in Montezuma County, CO.

While the virus continues to expand, the death and hospitalization rates of those infected appears to be dropping.

After a deadly July in San Juan County, the death rate of those who tested positive for the virus was nearly four percent. Since that time, there have been just four fatalities of the 288 positive tests, for a death rate of 1.4 percent.

The hospitalization rate has also dropped in recent months, from 13.3 percent of positive tests through August to 5.3 percent since that time.

The more recent death rates and hospitalization rates can change because of delayed reporting.