SALT LAKE CITY – The gradual decline in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Utah continued on Sunday, while the state health department reported 1,194 new cases, as well as two additional deaths from the disease.
The department also says that another 10,176 Utahns have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, for a total of 310,692 doses administered now. More than 63,000 Utahns have already received a second dose of the vaccine, necessary for maximum effectiveness.
Currently, 413 Utahns are hospitalized for the coronavirus, including 131 in intensive care. This lowered the ICU’s capacity across the state to just below the 85% mark, the point at which hospitals consider ICUs “functionally full”.
Last week, the state recorded an average of 1,464 new cases reported per day and a positive test rate of 16.9%.
The new numbers arrive with an additional 12,862 test results reported since Saturday, including 6,472 Utahn tests that had not been tested before.
Overall, Sunday’s update brings the state to 346,624 confirmed cases; 1,665 deaths; 3,339,677 tests in total performed on 2,024,647 different people; and 13,468 related hospitalizations.
The two reported deaths were of an Iron County woman over 85 who was hospitalized when she died; and a 45- to 64-year-old man from Weber County who was not hospitalized.
There is no COVID-19 press conference for state officials scheduled for the weekend. Governor Spencer Cox and health officials will update the public on the state’s response to the pandemic later this week; the conference usually takes place on Thursdays.
Last week
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.
Graham Dudley