SALT LAKE CITY – The gradual decline in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Utah continued Sunday when the state Department of Health reported 1,194 new cases, as well as two additional deaths due to the disease.
The department also says that 10,176 more Utahns have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, for a total of 310,692 doses that have now been administered. More than 63,000 Utahns have now received a second dose of vaccine needed for maximum effectiveness.
Currently, 413 Utahns are hospitalized due to the coronavirus, including 131 in intensive care. This reduced the total ICU capacity to just below the 85% mark, the point at which hospitals consider ICUs to be ‘functionally full’.
In the past week, the state reported an average of 1,464 new cases per day and a positive test rate of 16.9%.
The new numbers come as 12,862 test results have been reported since Saturday, including 6,472 Utahns tests that have not been tested before.
Overall, Sunday’s update brings the state to 346,624 confirmed cases; 1,665 deaths; 3 339 677 total tests performed on 2 024 647 different people; and 13,468 related hospitalizations.
The two deaths reported were from an Iron County woman over 85 who was admitted to the hospital when she died; and a Weber County man between the ages of 45 and 64 who was not admitted to the hospital.
There is no COVID-19 news conference of civil servants scheduled for the weekend. Government Spencer Cox and health officials will keep the public informed of the state’s pandemic response later this week; the conference usually takes place on Thursdays.
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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.
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.
Graham Dudley