Utah reported another 467 cases of coronavirus on Saturday.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Photo from the Tribune file) Nurse Julia Paas, right, talks about information with Betsy Altschuler as she prepares for her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Utah Film Studios in Park City on Thursday, March 18, 2021 receive. .
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Another 467 Utahns tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials reported Saturday, but the number of people hospitalized and seriously ill with the disease has declined over the past day.
The daily test positivity rate was slightly lower than the seven-day average, although a doctor on the infectious diseases on Friday expressed concern about the fact that the state’s daily case studies may be flat, rather than continuing to decline, and encouraged people to not yet to be let down.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said Saturday she did not rule out passing a local masked mandate after April 10, when the requirements for the entire face-to-face complaint would cease under a bill recently passed by the Utah legislature has been accepted. The measure, which has yet to be signed by the government, Spencer Cox, will enable county and city councils to carry out their own mandates – but it will also expire once the state meets certain criteria for virus control.
Utah is already close to the thresholds set out in the bill.
Wilson said the most likely scenario for a nationwide mandate would be if the Department of Health recommended one and the county council approved it.
“We are currently working on the options and are awaiting approval of the bill,” she said.
The state’s two best local leaders are now in a similar stance when it comes to the possibility of instituting mask mandates after April 10, with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall saying earlier this week that city attorneys are evaluating the option. Mendenhall also asked local businesses to maintain masks until public health officials say it is safe to work without them, and Wilson said she supports this advice.
Vaccine doses administered in the past day / total doses administered • 25,861 / 1,137,046.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 413 058.
Cases reported in the past day • 467.
Deaths reported in the past day • 2.
Davis County reported a single death: A man between 65 and 84 years old.
One death has been reported in Weber County, a man aged 65 to 85.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 160. It’s 16 from Friday. Of those currently admitted to the hospital, 57 are in intensive care units – four less than on Friday.
Tests reported in the past day • 6,451 people were tested for the first time. A total of 14,990 people were tested.
Percentage of positive tests • According to the state’s original method, the rate is 7.1%. This is lower than the seven-day average of 8.1%.
The new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Saturday’s rate is now at 3.1%, lower than the seven-day average of 4.1%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Total to date • 381 254 sake; 2,060 deaths; 15,267 hospitalizations; 2,327,182 people tested.
Tribune reporter Leia Larsen contributed to this report.