The death toll climbs closer to 2,000 as Salt Lake County launches a campaign to promote vaccinations.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Heidi Enger prepares for Covid 19 vaccinations at Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, Monday, March 1, 2021.
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Utah reported fewer than 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday for the third consecutive day. The number has risen by 230 since Monday, but the number of tests has more than doubled – from about 6,500 on Sunday to more than 14,500 on Monday.
The death toll continued to rise, with nine more deaths reported Tuesday. Two of them occurred before February 9 and it was only recently confirmed that they are coronavirus related.
Vaccinations administered in the past day / total vaccinations • 20,268 / 741,297.
Number of Utahns receiving two doses • 263,173.
Cases reported in the past day • 487.
Deaths reported in the past day • Nine.
Salt Lake County reported two deaths: a woman between the ages of 65-84 and an 85-year-old woman.
There were also two deaths in Utah County: a man aged 65-84 and a man aged 85+.
Five counties each reported one death: a 65-84 man in Davis County; a man 45-64 in Summit County; a man 65-84 in Tooele County; a man 65-84 in Washington County; and a woman 45-64 in Weber County.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 213 This is a from Monday. Of those currently hospitalized, 92 are in intensive care units – three more than on Monday.
Tests reported in the past day • 5 582 people were tested for the first time. A total of 14,540 people were tested.
Percentage of positive tests • According to the state’s original method, the rate is 8.7%. This is lower than the seven-day average of 10.5%.
The new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Tuesday’s rate is now at 3.3%, lower than the seven-day average of 4.9%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Total to date • 371,979 cases; 1,949 deaths; 14,753 hospitalizations; 2,214,506 people were tested.
The Salt Lake County Department of Health also unveiled its new public awareness campaign and website based on the theme ‘This Is Our Shot’ on Tuesday. Advertisements will send residents to ThisIsOurShot.com for information on COVID-19 vaccinations: Who is eligible, where to be vaccinated, and more.
“It’s important that we notify Salt Lake County residents and others in our community in a timely manner, as details and information change frequently,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said in a statement.
Headlines include: “This is our chance. Let’s take it, ” ‘This is our chance. To cuddle again, ” ‘This is our shot. It’s here, it’s effective, it’s free, ‘and’ It’s our chance. To become normal again. ”
“Our primary goal is to encourage people living in Salt Lake County and surrounding areas of the importance of getting a COVID vaccination through outreach, education and awareness,” said Gary Edwards, executive director of Salt Lake County. Health Department, said in a statement. “A secondary purpose of this campaign is to be a source of accurate information.”