(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) North Davis / EMT firefighter Ashley Shelton, on the right, laughs with her co-worker Chris Belliston while the two receive the vaccine while on duty on Wednesday. The Davis County Health Department operated a drive-thru vaccination for non-hospital health workers and first responders at the Legacy Center in Farmington, December 30, 2020.
The post-holiday increase in coronavirus infections in Utah showed signs of improvement on Saturday, with another 5,042 cases reported in the past two days, as the slow pace of vaccinations continued to increase.
Even so, the state’s seven-day average rose to 2,506 new positive test results per day, the Utah Department of Health reported on Saturday when it released Saturday and New Year’s holiday numbers. That’s 218 more than the previous day’s seven-day average, an increase attributable to Thursday’s record day for new infections.
The pandemic has so far shortened the lives of 1,294 Utahns, with the number of deaths in the state due to the coronavirus rising by 25 deaths reported in the previous two days. UDOH identified these most recent deaths, 12 men and 13 women, as follows:
• A woman from Box Elder County between the ages of 65 and 84.
• Six Davis County residents, two aged 65 and 84, three over 85 and one between 25 and 44
• A man from Duchesne County between the ages of 65 and 84.
• Six residents of Salt Lake County, five aged 65 to 84 and one woman over 85.
• Two residents of San Juan County, both aged 25 to 44 years.
• A Sanpete County employee aged 65 to 84.
• Two residents of Uintah County, a man between 65 and 84 years old and a woman over 85 years old.
• Two Utah County residents, both over 85.
Active hospitalizations dropped on Saturday from 510 to 487 admitted patients, UDOH reported.
The state processed 14,900 tests in the 48-hour period that ended at noon on Saturday. The positivity rate for tests in the last week has increased to 27.4%, indicating that many infections may not be detected.
UDOH has reported an additional 16,174 vaccines distributed since Thursday’s report – bringing the total number of residents who received the vaccines to 46,374.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this story.