SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 2,892 on Thursday, with nine more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The Department of Health estimates there are 54,541 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah as of Thursday. According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day per day is now 2,379. The positive daily test rate for that time period is now 24%.
Of the 1,677,510 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah to date, 15.5% tested positive for COVID-19. Another 10,631 additional tests have been conducted since Thursday, state data show.
There are 561 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, state data show. Of these, 180 occupy beds in intensive care units statewide. About 88.4% of all ICU beds in the state have been occupied since Thursday, with 91.5% occupied in 16 referral hospitals in Utah. About 53 percent of non-ICU hospital beds have been occupied in Utah since Thursday.
The Department of Health reported that 14,822 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Utah since Thursday. The Department of Health noted that the doses administered represent the number of doses of vaccine that were given to humans and reported to the UDOH.
“There will be a gap between when the vaccines are shipped, administered to a person and finally reported to the UDOH,” the statement said. “Once people in Utah start receiving the 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 they become available. “
The nine deaths reported on Thursday were:
- Two men from Salt Lake County, aged 65-84
- A 85-year-old man from Salt Lake County who was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Davis County was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A 85-year-old Utah man and a resident of a long-term care facility
- Two women from Salt Lake County, aged 65-84, who were hospitalized when they died
- A woman from Utah County between the ages of 22-55 and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Weber County was 45-64 years old and was hospitalized when she died
Thursday’s total gives Utah 260,589 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, 10,406 people were hospitalized and 1,204 people died from the disease.
A total of 204,844 cases in Utah COVID-19 are now estimated to be recovered, state data show.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for this week. The U.S. Department of Health will not update Utah’s COVID-19 statistics Friday with respect to the Christmas holiday.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after confirmation, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported daily by the Utah Department of Health includes all COVID-19 cases since the onset of the Utah outbreak, including those currently infected, those recovering 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 did not die.
The referral hospitals are the 16 hospitals in Utah with the capacity to provide the best COVID-19 healthcare.
State-reported deaths usually occurred two to seven days before they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may come from the back, especially if the person is from Utah but died in another state.
The Department of Health reports both confirmed and probable deaths in the COVID-19 case, as defined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiology. The number of deaths may change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
The data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit the local health district website.
More information on Utah health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
The information comes from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles 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.
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