Utah reported another 467 cases of coronavirus on Saturday.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Photo from Tribune file) Nurse Julia Paas, right, reviews information with Betsy Altschuler as she prepares to receive her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Utah Film Studios in Park City on Thursday, May 18 March 2021.
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Another 467 Utahns tested positive for coronavirus, state health officials said 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 below the seven-day average, although on Friday an infectious disease doctor expressed concern that the number of daily cases in the state may be higher than not keep going down and encouraged people not to leave the guard yet.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said Saturday that she has not ruled out trying to pass a local mask warrant after April 10, when statewide face coverage requirements would cease under a bill recently passed by the Utah legislature. The measure, which has not yet been approved by Gov. Spencer Cox, would allow councils and counties to enact their own mandates, but would also expire when the state meets certain virus containment criteria.
Utah is about to meet the thresholds set out in the bill.
Wilson said the most likely scenario for a countywide mandate would be if the health department recommends it and the county council approves it.
“We are currently working on these options and are awaiting approval of the bill,” he said.
The two top local leaders in the state are now in a similar position when it comes to the possibility of enacting masked warrants after April 10, with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall telling earlier this week city attorneys are evaluating the option. Mendenhall has also asked local businesses to continue applying masks until public health officials say it is safe to go without them, and Wilson said he supports that advice.
Dose of vaccines administered last day / total doses administered • 25,861 / 1,137,046.
Fully vaccinated Utahns • 413,058.
Cases reported last day • 467.
Deaths reported last day • 2.
Davis County reported only one death: a man between the ages of 65 and 84.
A death was reported in Weber County, a 65- to 85-year-old man.
Hospitalizations reported last day • 160. It went down 16 Friday. Of those currently hospitalized, 57 are in intensive care units, four fewer than on Friday.
Tests reported last 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 original method of the state, the rate is 7.1%. This is below the seven-day average of 8.1%.
His new method counts all test results, including repeated tests from the same individual. Saturday’s rate now stands at 3.1%, below 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 so far • 381,254 cases; 2,060 dead; 15,267 hospitalizations; 2,327,182 people were tested.
– Tribune reporter Leia Larsen contributed to this report.