SALT LAKE CITY – The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah has risen Wednesday by 901, with ten more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Six of the deaths occurred last month, but were still being investigated by the state medical office, the health department said. The only death reported Tuesday, a man who was over 85 and was hospitalized when he died, was removed from the total deaths because investigators determined he was not a Utah resident.
The health department estimates that there are 22,973 active cases of COVID-19 in the state. According to the health department, the average number of continuous positive cases per day for seven days is 845. The percentage of positive tests per day for this time period reported using the “people on people” method is now 13.5 %. The average rotating positive test rate reported with the “test over test” method is now 6.1%.
There are currently 263 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 99 in intensive care, according to state data. It is the first time Utah has had less than 100 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units since October.
About 72 percent of all ICU hospital beds are occupied on Wednesday, including about 77 percent of ICU beds in the state’s 16 reference hospitals, according to the health department. Approximately 49% of non-ICU hospital beds are now occupied in Utah.
A total of 551,068 vaccines have been administered in the state, compared to 532,985 on Tuesday. Of these, 173,925 are second doses of the vaccine.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.2% in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 2,136,588 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.1% have tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests conducted since the beginning of the pandemic has risen to 3,631,393, an increase of 20,286 since Tuesday. Of these, 7,063 were tests from people who had not been previously tested for COVID-19.
The ten deaths reported on Wednesday were:
- A woman from Cache County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when she died
- A Carbon County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Two men from Davis County who were over 85 and were residents of long-term care centers
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between 45 and 64 years old and was not hospitalized when she died
- A woman from Salt Lake County who was between 65 and 84 years old and who was hospitalized when she died
- A Salt Lake County man who was between 44 and 65 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County man who was between 65 and 84 years old and was not hospitalized when he died
- A Washington County man who was over 85 and resided in a long-term care center
- A woman from Washington County who was over 85 and resided in a long-term care center
Wednesday’s totals give Utah 363,248 confirmed cases in total, with 14,294 total hospitalizations and 1,806 deaths from the disease. An estimated 338,469 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 expected to provide an update on COVID-19 during his monthly press conference with PBS Utah at 10 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 “people over people” method for the seven-day average positive test rate is calculated by dividing the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 by the total number of people tested. The “test over test” method is calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered.
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.