SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health reported Saturday 2,150 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 13 new deaths in the daily publication of updated coronavirus statistics.
Six of these new deaths occurred before Dec. 26, and were added after further investigation. “The forensic doctor’s office conducts thorough investigations of all possible COVID-related deaths,” the department wrote in an email, “(and) these investigations may take several weeks to complete.”
The update brings Utah to 322,252 confirmed cases and 1,485 deaths since the pandemic began. An estimated 56,521 of these cases are currently active.
Over the past week, the state has averaged 2,315 new confirmed cases a day and a continued positive test rate of 24.7%, down from 32.6% the previous week, but still within a range that indicates a high probability of undeclared community spread.
Currently, 581 Utahns are hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 231 in intensive care. Figures for Saturday come as 10,460 more people were tested for the virus and about 26,000 new tests were performed overall, according to the health department.
A total of 152,509 vaccine doses have now been administered in the state, almost 10,000 more than yesterday.
The health department announced Friday that it has detected a new variant of COVID-19 in Utah, a meeting for the first time in the UK. The variant is thought to be more transmissible and easier to spread than previous iterations of the virus, but there is no evidence that it is more deadly. Currently, health officials believe that coronavirus-approved vaccines will be effective against the variant.
Saturday, Utah health officials announced on Twitter they have deployed a “strike team” of monoclonal antibodies to long-term care centers experiencing coronavirus outbreaks in the direction of Governor Spencer Cox. “Monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19 can block the virus that causes COVID-19 to bind to human cells.” he wrote, “making it difficult for the virus to reproduce and causing damage.”
Antibodies form naturally in the bodies of recovered patients, providing some immunity against future infections; monoclonal antibodies are created in a laboratory to mimic this effect and have been approved by federal agencies as preventive treatment and COVID-19.
The health department dit their strike teams would administer 25 infusions on Saturday at five different facilities.
There are no coronavirus press conferences scheduled for state leaders over the weekend.
The 13 deaths reported on Saturday included:
- A Box Elder County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who resided in a long-term care center
- A Davis County man over the age of 85 who was hospitalized when he died
- A Garfield County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who resided in a long-term care center
- A 65-year-old Salt Lake County man who was hospitalized
- A Salt Lake County woman over the age of 85 who resided in a long-term care center
- A man from Sanpete County between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized
- A Uintah County woman over the age of 85 who resided in a long-term care center
- A 65- to 84-year-old Utah County man who was not hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County man between the ages of 65 and 84 was hospitalized
- A Utah County woman over the age of 85 who resided in a long-term care center
- A 65- to 84-year-old Washington County woman who lived in a long-term care center
- Two Washington County men between the ages of 65 and 84 living in a long-term care center
this week
- Friday: 2,543 more COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths reported Friday in Utah
- Thursday: Utah Continues to Work on Vaccine Launch Issues as State Sees 2,742 New COVID-19 Cases, 11 Killed
- Wednesday: 2,899 more cases of COVID-19, 27 deaths reported Wednesday in Utah
- Tuesday: 2,146 more COVID-19 cases, 26 deaths reported Tuesday in Utah
- Monday: 1,484 more COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths reported Monday in Utah
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 notification. 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.
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Graham Dudley