SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s COVID-19 deaths increased by 3,318 on Tuesday, with seven more deaths reported as the positive test rate continued to rise, according to the Utah Department of Health.
There are now an estimated 51,443 active COVID-19 cases in Utah, state data shows. According to the Department of Health, the current average number of positive cases of seven days per day is now 2800. The positive test rate per day for that period is now a record high of 32.1%, compared to 30.8% on Monday.
The new numbers point to a 1.2% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 1,762,178 people who have been tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 16.5% have tested positive for COVID-19. The number of tests performed increased by 17,539 on Tuesday, and 9,854 of the tests were people who had not been tested for the disease before, according to state data.
There are now 510 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 177 in intensive care, according to data from the Department of Health. About 84% of the intensive care units were filled in Utah as of Tuesday, including 84% of the ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals.
A total of 55,981 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered in Utah, according to the Department of Health. A total of 150,125 doses of vaccines have now been sent to the state, although health officials note that there is a delay in the data between sending doses, administering to patients and then reporting to the health department.
The seven deaths reported on Tuesday were:
- A Weber County man who was between 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was admitted to the hospital when he died
- A Washington County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was admitted to the hospital when he died
- A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- Two Washington County women over the age of 85 who were not hospitalized when they died
- A Davis County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was admitted to the hospital when he died
The total Tuesday total gives Utah 288,951 confirmed cases, with 11,356 total hospitalizations and 1,312 total deaths due to the disease. An estimated 236,196 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovery, according to the Department of Health.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Tuesday. Utah officials typically present at news conferences on Wednesdays or Thursdays once a week.
Methods:
Test results now contain data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after confirmation, but negative test results may not be reported 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported each day by the Utah Department of Health includes all cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak of Utah, including those currently infected, those recovering from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and did not die.
Reference hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals that can provide the best COVID-19 health care.
According to the Department of Health, deaths usually occurred two to seven days before they were reported. Some deaths can come back even further, especially if the person is from Utah but died in another state.
According to the Department of Health, as well as likely COVID-19 deaths are confirmed as defined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death rates could change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they had not had COVID-19, according to the Department of Health.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. Visit the website of your local health district for more localized data.
More information on Utah’s health education levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information comes 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 browse to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
Jacob Klopfenstein