SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah increased by 716 on Tuesday, with another 12 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
According to the health department, seven of the deaths occurred last month but are still being investigated by medical investigators. A total of 11,966 more vaccine doses were also administered.
The Department of Health estimates that there are now 19,767 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. According to state data, this is the first time the estimate is less than 20,000 since October 2nd.
According to the Department of Health, the current average number of positive cases per day on seven days is now 779. The positive test rate per day for the period reported using the “people over people” method is now 13.3%. The positive test rate per day of seven days, calculated using the ‘test over test’ method, is now 6.2%.
There are currently 239 COVID-19 patients admitted to Utah, including 95 in intensive care. About 69% of all Utah state-of-the-art beds have been filled since Tuesday, including about 73% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 46% of non-ICU hospital beds were occupied in Utah on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health.
A total of 623,876 vaccines were administered in the state, compared to 611,910 on Monday. Of these, 213,278 are second doses of the vaccine.
The new figures point to a 0.2% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 2,172,963 people tested so far for COVID-19 in Utah, 17% tested positive for COVID-19. The number of total tests carried out now stands at 3,724,955, up 18,480 since Monday. Of these, 6,458 were tests of people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19, according to state data.
The twelve deaths reported on Tuesday were:
- A woman from Cache County who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Davis County woman between the ages of 65 and 84 and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Davis County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was admitted to the hospital when he died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was over 85 and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not admitted to the hospital when he died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Sevier County woman over the age of 85 who was not hospitalized when she died
- A Sevier County woman over the age of 85 who was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Washington County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County man who was between 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
The total Tuesday total gives Utah 367,789 confirmed cases, with 14,520 total hospitalizations and 1,655 total deaths due to the disease. A total of 346,157 COVID-19 cases are now estimated to be recovering, according to state data.
The Department of Health also renewed the state’s emergency health order regarding COVID-19, replacing the previous order that expired Monday night. The new order contains updated information on when mask mandates can be lifted in certain Utah provinces, regulations for bars, the state transfer index and several other items.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Tuesday. The Utah government, Spencer Cox, will deliver a pandemic update at a news conference Thursday at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the governor’s office.
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.
The Department of Health reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths as defined by the case set forth 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.
The “people over people” method for the average positive test score of seven days is calculated by dividing the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 by the total number of people tested. The “test over test” method is calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered.
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.