SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health reported 1,468 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, as well as eight new deaths from the disease.
This brings Utah to a total of 345,430 reported cases and 1,663 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
The new cases appear, as another 8,768 people were tested. In the last week, Utah has an average of 1,509 new cases of COVID-19 per day and a positive test rate of 18%.
Currently, 430 Utahns are hospitalized because of COVID-19, says the health department, bringing total hospitalizations during the pandemic to 13,427. Among those hospitalized, 139 are said to be in intensive care, contributing to a current ICU capacity of just over 86%.
All these values are moving in a positive direction from a week ago. The positive percentage of the positive test decreased by about one point, and the average number of cases in seven days decreased by about 300 cases. There are 51 fewer Utahns hospitalized and 57 fewer in intensive care.
The health department says the state has so far administered 300,516 doses of coronavirus vaccine, nearly 19,000 more than yesterday and nearly 80,000 more than last Saturday. Nearly 58,000 vaccines were given in secondary doses; both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses for maximum effect.
The eight deaths reported on Saturday include:
- A man from Cache County, aged between 65 and 84, who was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Davis County, aged between 65 and 84, who was hospitalized
- A 85-year-old woman from Salt Lake County not hospitalized when she died
- A man from Salt Lake County, aged 45 to 64, who was hospitalized
- A woman from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64 who was hospitalized
- A man from Salt Lake County over the age of 85 who was hospitalized
- A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, who was hospitalized
- A woman from Weber County over the age of 85 who was a resident of a long-term care institution
There is no coronavirus press conference scheduled for the weekend.
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 health care.
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 State Council and Territorial Epidemiologists. 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.
Graham Dudley