SALT LAKE CITY – Another 462 cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday, with two more deaths, according to Utah Department of Health officials.
The average number of positive cases per day for seven days is now 951, according to the health department. The average fell below 1,000 on Friday for the first time since October 2, according to the agency’s data.
There were 3,313 more Utahns tested and 6,644 more total tests reported Monday. The average positivity of “people over people” in the state’s seven calendar days fell to 14.1%, while the state’s “test on test” rate dropped to 6.4%.
Health department officials said a Weber County man and Utah County man died as a result of the coronavirus. Both were aged 65 to 84 and both were hospitalized at the time of their deaths.
State data show that there are now 274 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations also continues to fall. Intensive care units at the state referral center were listed at 79% capacity and ICUs at 75% capacity across the state on Monday. Both numbers are now below maximum utilization and slightly above the state target of 77% for referral centers and 72% for state ICUs.
While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to fall, the number of COVID-19 vaccinations is slowly increasing – which is another positive sign. The state reports another 1,033 COVID-19 vaccinations from its Sunday update. A total of 525,033 Utahns have received the COVID-19 vaccine since last December.
Monday’s totals give Utah 361,756 confirmed cases since March 2020, with 14,209 total hospitalizations and 1,796 total deaths from the disease.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Monday, as government offices are closed for the holiday. The next briefing is scheduled for 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.