Utah reports eight more coronavirus deaths and 3,489 new cases

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Nearly 17,000 have now received a vaccine, and intensive care capacity has fallen to its December low.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) “I didn’t even feel it,” said VA health technician Diane Perkins, who received the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. The George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Medical Center is one of 113 VA medical centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine. As health care workers in Utah hospitals continue to receive vaccinations this week, including employees at the George E. Wahlen Medical Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs, December 23, 2020, those working in long-term care units are the first doses Monday.

| December 26, 2020, 7:11 p.m.

| Updated: 8:30 p.m.

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Utah reported 3,489 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday and eight more deaths on Thursday.

Most of these cases – 2,498 – were reported on Friday, when the new numbers were not released due to Christmas. The remaining 991 were new cases reported on Saturday, according to the state Department of Health.

In the last week, the state had an average of 2,153 new positive results per day. The average positive test rate in the last seven days is 24% – an indicator, health officials said, that many infected Utahs have not yet been tested.

Since the pandemic began, 264,078 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19.

The death toll from the coronavirus rose to 1,212 on Saturday. The eight new deaths:

  • A man from Weber County between 65 and 84 years old.

  • A man from Weber County over 85 years old.

  • A man from Box Elder County, between 45 and 64 years old.

  • A man from Utah County between the ages of 65 and 84.

  • A woman from Davis County between the ages of 65 and 84.

  • A woman from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64.

  • A woman from Millard County between 65 and 84 years old.

  • A 85-year-old woman from Washington County.

All eight Utahs were hospitalized at the time of death and there are currently 481 people who are hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state. The coronavirus health department’s scoreboard shows that 172 of these people are in intensive care unit beds.

For the first time this month, the state reported that less than 85% of its intensive care beds were filled. As of Saturday, that number was 81.7% – down from 88.4% on Thursday – with 83.7% of ICU beds in the state’s largest reference hospitals occupied.

Doctors and hospital administrators said that these figures do not take into account staff fluctuations or the high demand for specialists and equipment when a large percentage of intensive care patients are treated for the same disease. In practice, doctors said that the quality of care begins to deteriorate due to the informal rationalization that takes place once ICI reaches about 85% of capacity.

A total of 10,522 Utahs have been hospitalized since the outbreak.

The state reported that tests for 12,956 people were processed on Thursday. The health department said 8,879 of them were reported on Friday, while the remaining 4,077 were reported on Saturday.

Another 2,102 vaccines were given on Thursday, bringing the total to 16,924. This number is expected to increase substantially in the coming days as long-term care facilities and more rural hospitals begin to release the vaccine.

Correction: December 26, 12:35 p.m. • Utah reported 3,489 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. An earlier version gave an incorrect number.

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