SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 2,736 on Tuesday, with 16 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The Department of Health now estimates that there are 49,569 active cases of the disease in Utah. According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day for seven days is now 2,035. The positive daily test rate for that time period is now 24.7%.
The new figures indicate a 1% increase in positive cases on Monday. Of the 1,705,452 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 15.9% tested positive for COVID-19. The health department reported that 7,347 new people were tested for COVID-19 as of Tuesday and another 13,954 tests were performed, state data show.
There are now 506 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, state data show. Of these, 164 are in intensive care beds across the country. About 80 percent of all ICU beds have been occupied in Utah since Tuesday, including about 82 percent of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 46% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied, state data show.
A total of 20,417 COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered, up from 17,543 months, according to state data. Health officials note that there is a delay in reporting data for up to seven days from the administration of vaccine doses in Utah, the administration of patients and reporting to the state health department. A total of 102,025 doses of the vaccine have now been shipped to Utah, according to the health department.
The 16 deaths reported on Tuesday were:
- A woman from Weber County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was a resident of a long-term care institution
- A Utah County man over the age of 85 who was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A woman from Box Elder County, who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A man from Uintah County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Salt Lake County who was between 25 and 44 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Salt Lake County, who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- Three men from Salt Lake County who were between 65 and 84 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Cache County who was over 85 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A man from Davis County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A man from Washington County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Utah County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Washington County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Kane County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
Tuesday’s total gives Utah 269,326 confirmed cases in total, with 10,763 hospitalizations in total and 1,235 deaths in total due to the disease. An estimated 218,522 cases of Utah COVID-19 are now considered recovered, according to the health department.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for this week.
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 cannot be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported daily by the Utah Department of Health includes all cases of COVID-19 since the onset of the Utah outbreak, including those who are 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 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.
Jacob Klopfenstein