SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah increased by 1,517 on Friday, with an additional 35 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The reported new deaths reflect the two-day total of Thursday and Friday. A data transmission error meant that the health department did not include the deaths in Thursday’s COVID-19 statistics report.
Sixteen of the deaths in Friday’s report should have been included in Thursday’s report, according to the health department. Six of the deaths included in Friday’s report occurred before the first day of the year, but were still being investigated by the Utah medical examiner’s office.
The health department now estimates that there are 40,845 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The average number of positive cases per day over seven days is now 1,550, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that period is now 18.1%.
There are 446 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 148 in intensive care, state data show. About 88% of all beds in intensive care units in Utah were occupied on Friday, including 92% of the ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 60% of non-ICU hospital beds are filled in Utah, according to data from the health department.
281,797 vaccines have already been administered in the state, compared to 267,027 on Thursday. Of these, 48,263 are second doses that were administered until Friday, state data show.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.4% in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 2,009,407 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.2% tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests performed increased by 13,172 on Friday, and 9,384 of them were tests from people who had not taken the COVID-19 test, according to the health department.
Governor Spencer Cox celebrated the numbers in a tweet saying that there was a decrease among health professionals.
Can I share some promising news? Although the case count is declining across the state, we have seen a much more pronounced decline (approximately 26%) among healthcare professionals in the past few days. As they were the first to receive the vaccine, this is the first real evidence we have that it is working! 👊
– Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) January 29, 2021
The 35 deaths reported on Friday were:
- Two men from Box Elder County aged 65 to 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Carbon County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A man from Davis County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Davis County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- An Iron County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Two men from Salt Lake County between the ages of 65 and 84 and living in long-term care facilities
- Two women from Salt Lake County over 85 and living in long-term care facilities
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Two men from Salt Lake County over 85 years old and living in long-term care facilities
- A man from Salt Lake County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A man from Salt Lake County who was between 25 and 44 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Salt Lake County who was over 85 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- Two men from Salt Lake County aged 65 to 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- Two men from Salt Lake County who were between 45 and 64 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- Two women from Salt Lake County between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Summit County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Tooele County who was over 85 and was hospitalized when she died
- A man from Tooele County who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman from Utah County who was 65 to 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A woman from Utah County who was 65 to 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- Three Utah County men aged 65 to 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A woman from Washington County who was between 45 and 64 years old and was a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman from Weber County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was a resident of a long-term institution
- A woman from Weber County who was between 45 and 64 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman from Weber County who was over 85 years old and a resident of a long-term care institution
- A woman from Weber County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
Friday’s total gives Utah 343,962 confirmed cases, with 13,353 hospitalizations and 1,655 deaths from the disease. The health department estimates that 301,462 Utah COVID-19 cases have been recovered.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Friday. Utah officials provided an update on the pandemic at a news conference 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