SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 2,146 on Tuesday, with 26 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Fifteen of those deaths occurred before Dec. 22, according to the health department. The state forensic office is investigating each death to determine COVID-19 as the cause, which may delay notification of these deaths for several weeks.
There are now an estimated 54,792 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah, according to health department data. According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day seven days a day is 2,946. The positive daily test rate for this time period is now 29.3%.
There are currently 560 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, including 187 in intensive care, according to state data. Approximately 85% of intensive care beds in Utah were occupied as of Tuesday, including approximately 89% of ICU beds at the state’s 16 referral hospitals.
A total of 110,530 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 103,547 on Monday.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.7% in positive cases since Monday. Of the 1,843,113 people tested so far to detect COVID-19 in Utah, 16.9% tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests performed increased by 17,782 as of Monday, and 11,991 of these were tests from people who had not been tested for COVID-19.
Tuesday’s total gives Utah 309,629 confirmed cases in total, with 12,059 total hospitalizations and 1,422 deaths from the disease. It is estimated that 253,415 cases of COVID-19 have now been recovered in Utah.
There is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for Tuesday. Utah officials usually provide updates at press conferences once a week on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
This story will be updated.
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 that are 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