SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 2,146 on Tuesday, with 26 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Fifteen of those deaths occurred before Dec. 22, the health department reported. The state medical examiner’s office conducts investigations into each death to determine COVID-19 as the cause, which can delay reporting of those deaths for several weeks.
There are now an estimated 54,792 active COVID-19 cases in Utah, health department data shows. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 2,946, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 29.3%.
There are 560 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 187 in intensive care, state data shows. About 85% of intensive care unit beds in Utah were occupied as of Tuesday, including about 89% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals.
A total of 110,530 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 103,547 Monday.
The new numbers indicate a 0.7% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 1,843,113 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 16.9% have tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests conducted increased by 17,782 as of Monday, and 11,991 of those were tests of people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19.
The 26 deaths reported Tuesday were:
- A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Davis County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Millard County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when she died
- Two Salt Lake County women who were over the age of 85 and were hospitalized when they died
- Three Utah County women who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were residents of long-term care facilities
- A Utah County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Washington County woman who was over the age of 85 and was not hospitalized when she died
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Cache County man who was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Davis County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- An Iron County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Salt Lake County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A Tooele County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Washington County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County man who was over the age of 85 and was not hospitalized when he died
Tuesday’s totals give Utah 309,629 total confirmed cases, with 12,059 total hospitalizations and 1,422 total deaths from the disease. An estimated 253,415 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered.
There is not a COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Tuesday. Utah officials typically provide updates at news conferences once a week on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who 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 has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is 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 the bottom of the page.
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Jacob Klopfenstein