SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah increased by 812 on Wednesday, with another 14 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department estimates that there are now 19,001 active cases of the disease in Utah.
The average number of positive cases per day for seven days is now 768, according to the health department. The rate of positive test per day for that period reported using the “people over people” method is now 13.1%. The positive test rate per day, averaged over seven days calculated using the “test over test” method is now 6.1%.
There are 222 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 91 in intensive care, state data show. About 74% of all beds in intensive care units in Utah are occupied, including about 77% of the ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 51% of all hospital beds outside the ICU are already occupied, according to data from the health department.
641,881 vaccines have already been administered in the state, compared to 623,876 on Tuesday. Of these, 221,619 are second doses of the vaccine, state data show.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.2% in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 2,180,594 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 16.9% tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests conducted in Utah is now 3,744,344, an increase of 19,389 since Tuesday. Of these, 7,631 were tests from people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19.
The 14 deaths reported on Wednesday include:
- Two men from Salt Lake County who were between 65 and 84 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Salt Lake County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A man from Sevier County who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Tooele County who was between 25 and 44 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A man from Utah County who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- Two Utah County men aged 65 to 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A woman from Box Elder County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when she died
- Two women from Salt Lake County who were over 85 years old and were not hospitalized when they died
- Salt Lake County woman over 85 years old and residing in a long-term care facility
- A woman from Utah County who was 65 to 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A Washington County woman who was over 85 and was not hospitalized when she died
Wednesday’s totals give Utah 368,601 confirmed cases, with 14,554 hospitalizations and 1,879 deaths from the disease. It is estimated that 347,721 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, according to the health department.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox is scheduled to provide an update on the pandemic at a press conference at 11 am 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 “people over people” method for the average seven-day positive test rate is calculated by dividing the number of people positive for COVID-19 by the total number of people tested. The “test over test” method is calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered.
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.