SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose by 2,892 Thursday, with nine additional deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department estimates there are 54,541 active COVID-19 cases in Utah Thursday. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now 2,379, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that period is now 24%.
Of the 1,677,510 people tested for COVID-19 so far in Utah, 15.5% tested positive for COVID-19. A further 10,631 additional tests were conducted as of Thursday, state data shows.
There are currently 561 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, state data shows. Of these, 180 occupy beds in intensive care units in the state. About 88.4% of all ICU beds in the state are occupied Thursday, with 91.5% in Utah’s 16 referral hospitals. About 53% of non-IC hospital beds have been occupied in Utah as of Thursday.
The health department reported that 14,822 COVID-19 vaccines were administered in Utah on Thursday. The health department noted that the doses administered are the number of vaccine doses given to humans and reported to the UDOH.
“There will be a delay between when vaccines are shipped, given to a person, and finally reported to the UDOH,” the statement said. “Once people in Utah start getting their second dose of vaccine, the UDOH will also report the total number of people vaccinated. The data is preliminary and the UDOH will report additional data as it becomes available.”
The nine deaths reported Thursday were:
- Two men from Salt Lake County aged 65-84
- A Salt Lake County man over 85 who was hospitalized when he died
- A Davis County man aged 45-64 who was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County man over the age of 85 and a resident of a long-term care facility
- Two Salt Lake County women aged 65-84 who were hospitalized when they died
- A Utah County woman between the ages of 22 and 55 who was hospitalized when she died
- A Weber County woman aged 45-64 who was hospitalized when she died
Thursday’s totals give Utah 260,589 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, 10,406 people have been hospitalized and 1,204 people have died from the disease.
A total of 204,844 Utah COVID-19 cases are now estimated to be recovered, state data shows.
There is no press conference on COVID-19 scheduled for this week. The health department will not update the Utah COVID-19 statistics on Friday in view of the Christmas holidays.
Methodology:
The test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results will be reported to the health department immediately after being confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since the Utah outbreak began, including those currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died .
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 hospitals in Utah that can provide the best COVID-19 healthcare.
Deaths reported by the state usually occurred two to seven days before reporting, according to the health department. Some deaths can be even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 according to the case definition set forth by the Council of State and territorial epidemiologists. Death rates are subject to change as the investigation of the case is completed.
For deaths reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they had not had COVID-19, according to the health department.
The data in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. Visit your local health district website for more localized information.
More information about Utah’s health guidelines is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health collects and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
Related Links
Jen Riess