SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose Wednesday by 1,299, with 17 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department estimates there are 29,337 active cases of the disease as of Wednesday, the first day it is estimated to have fallen below 30,000 since October 28th.
According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per seven-day day is 1,053. The percentage of positive tests per day for this time period reported using the “people on people” method is now 15.3%. The positive test rate per day for this time period reported using the “test over test” method is now 7%.
This week, the health department began reporting two different methods for calculating the average daily positive test rate of seven days a day. The “people over people” method is calculated by dividing the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 by the total number of people tested. The health department uses this method to calculate the average turnover since the beginning of the pandemic.
Now the agency also reports the “test over test” method, which is calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered. The “test over test” method explains the duplicate positive and negative COVID-19 tests, where the “people over people” method does not.
The “people-on-people” method skews the highest average, while the “test-on-test” method biases lower and the actual average is believed to be somewhere in the middle, according to the state health department epidemiologist, Dra. The health department will continue to provide both methods of reporting on a daily basis, which will help better compare the Utah pandemic with that of other states, Dunn said.
There are currently 323 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, including 131 in intensive care, according to state data. About 80 percent of all intensive care beds in Utah have been occupied since Wednesday, including about 84 percent of ICU beds at the state’s 16 reference hospitals, according to state data. About 53% of non-ICU hospital beds in Utah are filled Wednesday.
A total of 442,476 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 425,698 on Tuesday. Of these, 117,305 are second doses of the vaccine.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.4% in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 2,094,809 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah to date, 17.1% tested positive for COVID-19.
The total number of COVID-19s conducted in Utah since the beginning of the pandemic, including duplicate positive and negative tests, is now 3,522,246. This represents an increase of 23,334 tests performed since Tuesday, and 8,988 of these were tests from people who had not been tested for COVID-19.
The 17 deaths reported on Wednesday were:
- A Box Elder County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A Box Elder County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Carbon County woman who was over 85 and who was hospitalized when she died
- A man from Cache County who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County man who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County man who was over 85 and resided in a long-term care center
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was over 85 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A man from Tooele County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County woman who was over 85 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Utah County man who was over 85 and who was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County man who was over 85 years old and resided in a long-term care facility
- A woman from Wasatch County who was over 85 and resided in a long-term care center
- A Weber County man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A Weber County woman who was over 85 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Weber County man who was over 85 and who was hospitalized when he died
- A Weber County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
Wednesday’s total gives Utah 357,339 confirmed cases, with 14,007 hospitalizations and 1,765 deaths from the disease. An estimated 326,237 cases of COVID-19 in Utah are considered recovered, the health department reported.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Wednesday. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to make an update on the pandemic at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Methodology:
Test results now include PCR test data and antigen testing. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after confirmation, but negative results may not be reported within 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported daily by the Utah Department of Health includes all cases of COVID-19 since the Utah outbreak began, including those that are currently infected, those that have recovered 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 who has not died.
The reference hospitals are the 16 hospitals in Utah with the capacity to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
According to the health department, deaths reported by the state usually occur two to seven days before their complaint. Some deaths may be even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 cases as defined in the case reviewed by the Council of State and territorial epidemiologists. Death counts may change as case investigations are completed.
According to the health department, for deaths reported as deaths from COVID-19, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19.
The data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district website.
You can learn more about Utah health guidance levels at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
The 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 scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at bottom of the page.