Sewage monitoring performed by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reveals that Daggett County has COVID-19 present in the population of Manila and Dutch John. “Monitoring sewers for COVID-19 gives an indication of trends regarding viral activity in the community,” shares TriCounty Health in a Monday press release. “In July, TriCounty Health Department (TCHD) put out a news release on detection of COVID-19 in the Daggett County area. The current detection is far greater than the detection in July. Dutch John Sewage monitoring jumped from 39 million gene copies (MGC) as reported in late July to 717 million gene copies on November 12th and 232 million gene copies on November 19th.” Even Manila is showing up in the data though it had previously remained relatively undetectable. Not surprisingly then, Daggett County now has a total of three confirmed cases of COVID-19, one of which has recovered. TriCounty Health Department recommends that Daggett County residents adhere to the practices of limiting group sizes, practicing physical distancing with members not of your household, wearing a mask when in public, and practicing good hand hygiene such as washing or sanitizing hands. “With limited access to healthcare, the actions of county residents is critical to protecting and preserving the health of each resident living in Daggett County,” shares TriCounty Health Officer, Jordan Mathis. “Our purpose in sharing these trends is to allow residents to take preemptive action in slowing the spread of COVID-19.” Testing is encouraged and offered through testutah.com. This is open to anyone who desires a test, regardless of exposure or symptoms.
