The health department also reported 396 new cases and six deaths on Sunday.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) People wear masks while shopping in Ogden, March 10, 2021.
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The number of daily COVID-19 cases has remained stable recently, after an encouraging decline in recent weeks.
In the past seven days, Utah saw 3,529 new cases of coronavirus. That’s slightly lower than the week before, when the state health department reported 3,615 new cases. Over those two weeks, the daily average of new cases is 510.25.
The state’s own tracking dashboard indicates that since March 8, Utah has seen cases level off after two months of decline. The last time the state reported a plateau in cases before this one was Jan. 10.
One possible reason for the plateau could be the rise of several coronavirus variants that have made their way to the United States in recent months, sparking questions from state officials about how to respond to it. The variants are believed to spread more easily among humans and potentially cause more serious illnesses.
The state has summed up 67 cases of the British variant (labeled B.1.1.7), but none of the variants in South Africa (B.1.351) or Brazil (P.1). However, reporting of that data by the health department is about two weeks behind.
The current plateau leaves the state in roughly the same spot as it did in June, when it averaged about 470 cases per day. That’s when state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said the rate of spread would soon warrant a “complete shutdown”.
The obvious difference between that scary warning that preceded Utah’s massive spike in cases and now is that Utah has three vaccines. And their spread is increasing. On Sunday, the state health service reported it had reached more than 1 million doses administered.
“For those of you who have already taken an injection, thank you,” said the state health service. For the rest, get the vaccine when it’s your turn. It’s how we get our lives back. “
All adults are eligible to make vaccination appointments from April 1. The vaccine has clearly helped as the number of cases among teachers has decreased, as has the number of outbreaks in nursing homes. And while San Juan County was once one of the hardest hit areas in the country, new infections are now emerging that are slowly but surely sluggish.
Yet the pandemic is not over yet. The state reported more deaths from the coronavirus this week (51) than the week before (41). And the percentage of intensive care beds occupied by COVID-19 patients has hovered around 70% for nearly two weeks.
Below is a breakdown of data on the coronavirus released by the health department on Sunday.
Vaccinations administered in the past day / total vaccinations • 15,861 / 1,009,029.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 365,176.
Cases reported in the past day • 396
Deaths reported in the past day • 6.
• A woman in Utah County between the ages of 65 and 84.
• Three men in Utah County — two between 45 and 64, and one between 65 and 84.
• A man from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64.
• A Davis County man over 85 years old.
Hospital admissions reported in the past day • 167. That is 23 more than Saturday. Of those currently hospitalized, 63 are in intensive care – four more than on Saturday.
Tests reported in the past day • 4,089 people were first tested. A total of 7,397 people were tested.
Totals so far • 378,379 cases; 2,027 dead; 15,104 hospital admissions; 2,289,803 people tested.