Nearly one-third of COVID-19 tests in Utah are positive, the state reported Monday

Nearly one-third of COVID-19 tests in Utah are positive, the state reported Monday

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Utah has reported four more deaths and more than 2,000 new cases.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nurse Catherine Van Straten, nurse, medical center, George E. Wahlen, donated the COVID-19 vaccine to an employee on Wednesday. George E. Wahlen, Medical Center for Veterans Affairs, is one of the 113 VA medical centers across the country that received the first limited amount of Modern COVID-19 vaccine. As frontline employees in Utah hospitals continue to receive vaccinations this week, including employees in the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs, December 23, 2020, those working at long-term care facilities are scheduled for their first doses Monday.

| 4 January 2021, 20:31

| Updated: January 5, 2021, 00:52

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Utah reported another 2,160 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, four more deaths and a percentage of positive test results above 32.3%. State health officials said a positive percentage of 5% or less indicates the virus is under control.

Vaccinations reported in the past day / total vaccinations • 1,193 / 48,575

Cases reported in the past day / total cases • 2,160 / 285,633. Monday’s numbers are below the seven-day moving average of 2,716 cases per day.

Tests reported in the past day / total cases • 6,619 / 1,752,324

Percentage of positive tests • 32.2%. This is higher than the seven-day average of 30.8%.

[Read more: Why you should be concerned about Utah’s COVID-19 test positivity rate]

Deaths reported in the past day / total deaths • 4 / 1,305.

The deaths reported on Monday are: Two men in Salt Lake County, one between the ages of 65 and 84 and the other older than 85; and two women in Washington County, both over the age of 85.

Hospitalizations reported in the past day / total hospitalizations • 484/11 240 since the outbreak began. Of those currently admitted to the hospital, 164 are in intensive care units.

In the high-positivity areas of Utah, Utah is offering free antigen testing for COVID-19 in 15 counties this week, funded by federal CARES law. According to a UDOH spokesperson, the aim is to identify people who are now contagious and to help slow the spread of the virus.
UDOH encourages everyone with even mild COVID-19 symptoms to be tested, but the tests are available to everyone – even those who have no symptoms. Utahns can visit the state’s mobile test sites website to see and register the available locations.

Central and west-central Utah remained the hardest-hit areas, with the counties of Millard, Beaver and Sanpete and Juab reporting more than 1 in 65 residents testing positive for the virus over the past two weeks. considered ‘active’.

And while rates in Central Utah’s communities are lower than last week, new cases are becoming more common elsewhere.

As of Monday, more than 1 in 70 residents had active infections in twelve of the 99 small areas in Utah, which were used by government officials to study health trends. This is higher than just four a week ago, with the largest growth in Utah County.

The twelve hotspots are: the Delta-Fillmore area; the Sanpete Valley; the Nephi-Mona area; Saratoga Springs; Mapleton; Eagle Mountain and the Cedar Valley; Herriman; Salem; Syracuse; Lehi; Washington City; and northern Orem.

The FBI and other federal agencies are warning the public about fraudulent schemes related to COVID-19 vaccines, in which scammers try to collect personal information and money. The FBI warns against accepting invitations to pay a deposit or fee for early access to a vaccine, or paying out of pocket to put your name on a waiting list. You can report COVID-19 fraud to 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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