SALT LAKE CITY – The state health department is reporting 2,408 new confirmed test cases and eight COVID-19 deaths on Saturday as part of its daily launch of updated coronavirus statistics in Utah.
This brings Utah to 248,970 reported cases and 1,148 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. In an email, the health department said seven of the deaths reported Saturday when Utahns were hospitalized at the time:
- A man from Salt Lake County between the ages of 65 and 84
- A man from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64
- A woman from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64
- Two women from Salt Lake County between the ages of 65 and 84
- A Box Elder County man between the ages of 65 and 84
- A woman from Davis County between the ages of 45 and 64
A man in Utah County over the age of 85 was not hospitalized when he died, officials said.
The Department of Health began providing additional information about COVID-19 vaccinations in Utah on Saturday. The US Food and Drug Administration has so far approved two vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, and the Pfizer vaccine has begun to be used in Utah. The Department of Health reports that so far 3,648 first doses of the vaccine have been given; Pfizer vaccine requires two doses.
The department also reported that 23,400 doses of vaccine have so far been shipped to Utah by the federal government.
“There will be a gap between the time the vaccines are shipped, administered to a person and finally reported to the UDOH,” the department said in an email. For this reason, the number of vaccinated people will potentially remain behind the total number of vaccines shipped in 7 days or more.
Utah is currently vaccinating state medical personnel. Front-line workers working with patients with COVID-19 were considered to be the highest priority for vaccination.
On Saturday, the health department said that 559 Utahns are currently hospitalized because of COVID-19 and that 218 of these patients are in intensive care. The new figure for the case comes with an additional 10,101 Utahns.
In the last week, the state has an average of 2,454 new cases reported per day and a positive test rate of 22.1%.
There is no coronavirus press conference scheduled for the weekend. On Thursday, Gov. Gary Herbert announced at a conference that the state has closed its time at 10 p.m. for alcohol sales at bars and restaurants, and also that Utah has relaxed its guidelines for when students will be required to quarantine after possible exposure to COVID. 19.
A total of 85 coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Utah between Monday and Friday 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.
Graham Dudley