SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah increased by 2,009 on Wednesday, with seven more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department now estimates that there are 46,034 active cases of the disease in Utah. The average number of positive cases per day over seven days is now 1,758, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that period is now 18.4%.
There are 452 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 161 in intensive care, state data show. About 84% of all beds in intensive care units in Utah were occupied on Wednesday, including about 89% of the ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals, according to the health department. About 52% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied.
A total of 250,448 vaccines were administered in the state, against 237,637 on Tuesday. Of these, 37,335 are second doses of the vaccine, according to state data.
The new figures indicate a 0.6% increase in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 1,989,106 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.1% tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests performed increased by 16,644 on Wednesday, and 10,156 of them were tests from people who had not been tested for COVID-19, according to the health department.
The seven deaths reported on Wednesday include:
- A Grand County man who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Millard County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Tooele County who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah county man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Utah County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A man from Washington 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 a resident of a long-term institution
Wednesday’s total gives Utah 340,684 confirmed cases, with 13,217 hospitalizations and 1,620 deaths from the disease. A total of 293,030 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, according to state data.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Wednesday. Utah Governor Spencer Cox is scheduled to provide an update on the pandemic at 11 am on Thursday.
Methodology:
The test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive results from the COVID-19 test are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results can take 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the Utah outbreak, including those who are infected, those who have recovered from the disease and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are Utah’s 16 hospitals capable of providing the best COVID-19 healthcare.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days before they were reported, according to the health department. Some deaths can be even older, especially if the person is from Utah, but died in another state.
The health department reports deaths from confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases according to the case definition outlined by the State Council and Territorial Epidemiologists. Death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths reported as deaths from COVID-19, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
The data included in this story mainly reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
The information is 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