Unless the state can obtain more testing supplies and providers, future case counts — while record-breaking — could drastically understate the actual prevalence of the virus.
Health workers with the Utah Department of Health test the public for COVID-19 at the testing site in the parking lot of the Utah Public Health Laboratory building in Taylorsville Dec. 30, 2021. Utah has maxed out its capacity to test for COVID-19 cases, health officials say.With more than 48,000 Utahns tested for the coronavirus in a single day this week, Utah has exceeded its testing capacity, health officials confirmed.
On Wednesday, that testing figure surpassed 48,000 — but that may have been from school testing events rather than increased availability for the public, Hudachko said. “If we continue to see a plateauing of cases in the coming days, it could be more a reflection of reaching maximum testing capacity than a true plateau in positive cases,” Hudachko said. “Percent positivity and currently hospitalized patients may reflect a more complete picture of disease transmission and severity than individual case counts.”
UDOH has asked employees in various departments to work at test sites because of “the spike in demand,” Hudachko said.
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