SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose Wednesday by 1,591, with 12 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Three of those deaths occurred before Jan. 14, but were still being investigated by the Utah state medical office, according to the health department.
There are now an estimated 35,431 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah, according to the health department. According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day seven days a day is 1,334. The positive daily test rate for this time period is now 16.6%.
There are currently 352 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 119 in intensive care, according to state data. About 75% of intensive care beds in Utah are filled as of Wednesday, including about 79% of ICU beds at the state’s 16 reference hospitals. According to the health department, about 54% of hospital beds that do not belong to the ICU are filled.
A total of 345,179 vaccines have been administered in the state, compared to 325,457 on Tuesday. Of these, 77,824 are second doses of the vaccine, according to state data.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.5% in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 2,044,811 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah to date, 17.1% tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests performed increased by 16,507 as of Wednesday, and 9,149 of these were tests from people who had not been tested for COVID-19.
The 12 deaths reported on Wednesday were:
- Two men from Salt Lake County who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- Two men from Salt Lake County who were between the ages of 45 and 64 and were hospitalized when they died
- A Utah County man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was admitted to the hospital when he died
- A Utah County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- A Weber County man who was over 85 and resided in a long-term care center
- A Box Elder County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Davis County who was over 85 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Davis County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Washington County woman who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
Wednesday’s totals give Utah 350,000 confirmed cases in total, with 13,648 total hospitalizations and 1,697 deaths from the disease. According to the health department, a total of 312,872 cases of COVID-19 in Utah are considered recovered.
According to the governor’s office, Utah Governor Spencer Cox will have to make a pandemic update 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 both confirmed deaths and probable cases of COVID-19 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.
Jacob Klopfenstein