SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s COVID-19 cases increased by 2,543 on Friday, with another 12 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The Department of Health now estimates that there are 55,374 active cases of the disease in Utah. According to the Department of Health, the current average number of seven-day positive cases per day is now at 2,391. The positive test rate per day for that period is now 25%, a full percentage point from Thursday and almost 8% lower than last week.
The Department of Health also announced on Friday that a new, more contagious variant of COVID-19, which originated in the United Kingdom, has now been detected in Utah. The variant was detected in a Salt Lake County man who tested positive last month and is between 25 and 44 years old. The man, according to the Department of Health, had no known travel history outside of Utah and had only mild symptoms.
The COVID-19 vaccine is thought to be effective against the variation of the disease.
There are 584 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 210 in intensive care. About 93% of the intensive care units in Utah have been occupied since Friday, according to the Department of Health, about 95% of the ICU beds in the 16 referral hospitals in the state. About 56% of the non-ICU hospital beds are now occupied.
A total of 142,751 doses of vaccine were administered in the state, compared to 133,202 on Thursday.
Friday’s new case numbers indicate a 0.8% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 1,884,601 people tested so far for COVID-19 in Utah, 17% tested positive for COVID-19. The number of tests performed increased by 17,245 as of Friday, of which 12,985 were tests for people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19.
The 12 deaths reported on Friday are:
- Two men in Salt Lake County who were between 65 and 84 years old and residents of long-term care facilities
- Two men in Salt Lake County who were between 65 and 84 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- Two men in Salt Lake County who were between 45 and 64 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- A Utah County man over the age of 85 who was hospitalized when he died
- A Washington County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A man from Weber County who was between 65 and 84 years old and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County woman who was over 85 and a resident of a long-term care facility
- A woman from Tooele County who was between 65 and 84 and was admitted to hospital when she died
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when she died
The total Friday of Utah gives 320,102 total confirmed cases, with 12,351 total hospitalizations and 1,472 total deaths due to the disease. An estimated 263,256 cases in Utah COVID-19 are now considered recovery, according to the Department of Health.
No COVID-19 news conference is scheduled for Friday. Utah officials provided a pandemic update at a news conference Thursday.
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 according to the definition of the case set out 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