SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health reported 4,672 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, with 13 more deaths, breaking the record number of cases reported in a single day.
The Department of Health now estimates that there are 50,904 active cases of the disease in Utah.
The sharp rise in cases comes after the state has seen a steady decline in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks. In November, officials feared an increase in Thanksgiving Day, but were happy to report only a small increase after the holidays.
However, with Thursday’s numbers, an increase in Christmas-related cases is a possibility.
Governor elected Spencer Cox wrote on Twitter that while it is possible that the sudden rise in cases could be due to low tests last week, it is likely the beginning of a holiday-related wave.
“Our fear is that people were less cautious during Christmas,” he wrote in a tweet. “If you plan large gatherings to celebrate New Year’s Eve, please reconsider.”
The numbers
The average continuous number of seven positive days a day is now 2,288, according to the health department. The positive daily test rate for that period is now 25.6%. The total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic is now 1,269.
Of the 1,726,003 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 16% tested positive for COVID-19. The Department of Health reported that 11,412 new people were tested for COVID-19 as of Thursday.
There are now 510 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, with 158 in intensive care units, state data show. The total number of hospitalizations since the beginning of the outbreak is now 10,956.
About 83.2% of all ICU beds have been occupied in Utah since Thursday, including about 87% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 55.7% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied, state data show.
A total of 30,200 COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered, up from 23,970 on Wednesday, according to state data. Health officials note that there is a delay in reporting data for up to seven days from the date vaccine doses are shipped to Utah, administered to patients and reported to the state health department. The state reported Wednesday that more than 125,000 total doses of the vaccine were either shipped or approved to be shipped to Utah.
This story will be updated.
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.
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Lauren Bennett