Nearly a third of COVID-19 tests in Utah are positive, state reports Monday

Nearly a third of COVID-19 tests in Utah are positive, state reports Monday

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Utah reported four more deaths and more than 2,000 new cases.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs The nurse at the Medical Center Catherine Van Straten gives the COVID-19 vaccine to a co-worker on Wednesday. George E. Wahlen, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine. As frontline healthcare professionals in Utah hospitals continue to receive vaccines this week, including staff at the George E. Wahlen Medical Center Department of Veterans Affairs, December 23, 2020, those working in long-term care facilities are scheduled to receive their first doses Monday.

| January 4, 2021, 20:31

| Updated: January 5, 2021, 12:52 pm

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Utah reported another 2,160 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, plus four deaths and a rate of positive test results above 32.3%. State health officials said a positive rate of 5% or less indicates that the virus is under control.

Vaccinations reported the day before / total vaccinations • 1,193 / 48,575

Cases reported on the previous day / total cases • 2,160 / 285,633. Monday’s number is below the seven-day moving average of 2,716 cases per day.

Tests reported the day before / total cases • 6,619 / 1,752,324

Percentage of positive tests • 32.2%. This is greater than the seven-day average of 30.8%.

[Read more: Why you should be concerned about Utah’s COVID-19 test positivity rate]

Deaths reported the previous day / total deaths • 4 / 1,305.

The deaths reported on Monday are: Two men from Salt Lake County, one aged 65 to 84 and the other over 85; and two women in Washington County, both over 85.

Hospitalizations reported the previous day / total hospitalizations • 484 / 11,240 since the outbreak began. Of those currently hospitalized, 164 are in intensive care units.

Targeting areas of Utah with high rates of positivity, Utah is offering free antigen testing for COVID-19 this week in 15 counties, with funding from the federal CARES Act. The goal is to identify people who are now infectious and help slow the spread of the virus, according to a UDOH spokesman.
UDOH is encouraging anyone with mild symptoms of COVID-19 to get tested, but the tests are available to everyone – even those who have no symptoms. Utahns can visit the state’s mobile test site finder page to view available locations and register.

Central and Midwest Utah remained the most affected areas of the state, with Millard, Beaver and Sanpete and Juab counting reporting that more than 1 in 65 residents tested positive for the virus in the past two weeks – which it means that your cases are considered “active”.

And while rates in communities in central Utah are lower than last week, new cases are becoming more prevalent elsewhere.

As of Monday, more than 1 in 70 residents had active infections in 12 of Utah’s 99 “small areas”, used by state officials to study health trends. That’s more than four a week ago, with most of the growth in Utah County.

These 12 access points are: the Delta-Fillmore area; Sanpete Valley; the Nephi-Mona area; Saratoga Springs; Mapleton; Eagle Mountain and the Cedar Valley; Herriman; Salem; Syracuse; Lehi; Washington City; and north of Orem.

The FBI and other federal agencies are warning the public about fraud schemes related to the COVID-19 vaccines, in which scammers try to collect personal information and money. The FBI warns against accepting invitations to pay a deposit or fee for early access to a vaccine, or paying out of pocket to put your name on a waiting list. You can report the COVID-19 fraud to 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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