SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 2,899 on Wednesday, with another 27 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Nine of those deaths occurred before Dec. 23, according to the health department. The agency also reported 2,289 new cases of COVID-19, which have been diagnosed since June, but have not been reported as COVID-19 cases in Utah to date, due to incomplete or unconfirmed patient address information. .
The Department of Health now estimates that there are 55,544 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day for seven days is 2,840. After rising above 30% last week, the seven-day positive test rate has dropped in the last few days and is now reported at 27.8%.
A total of 124,884 vaccines were administered in the state, up from 110,530 on Tuesday.
New cases on Wednesday indicate a 0.9% increase in positive cases on Tuesday. Of the 1,855,385 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah to date, 17% tested positive for the disease. The number of tests performed increased by 14,228 since Wednesday, and 12,272 of them were tests in people who had not been previously tested for the disease, according to the health department.
There are 566 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 194 in intensive care, state data show. About 90 percent of all beds in intensive care units in Utah are filled Wednesday, including about 93 percent of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 53 percent of Utah’s non-UTI hospital beds are currently occupied, according to the Department of Health.
The 27 deaths reported on Wednesday were:
- A man from Carbon County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A man from Davis County who was over 85 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A man from Salt Lake County who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A man from Uintah County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Utah County who was over 85 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Two men from Utah County, aged 45 to 64, who were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Utah County who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A man from Utah County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Two men from Washington County who were between 65 and 84 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- Two men from Washington County who were over 85 and hospitalized when they died
- A man from Washington County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Weber County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Iron County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Juab County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman in Salt Lake County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A woman from Tooele County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Tooele County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman from Uintah County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman in Utah County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A woman from Washington County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Washington County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Washington County who was over 85 years old and was not hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Washington County who was between 25 and 44 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Weber County, who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
Wednesday’s totals give Utah 314,817 confirmed cases in total, with 12,160 total hospitalizations and 1,449 total deaths from the disease. A total of 257,824 cases in Utah COVID-19 are now estimated to be recovered, according to the health department.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Wednesday. Utah officials usually provide updates at press conferences once a week on Wednesday or Thursday.
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 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.
Jacob Klopfenstein