8 Additional COVID-19 Deaths Reported In Utah; 2,408 New Cases

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Department of Health reported 8 more Utahns have died of COVID-19, with 2,408 new coronavirus cases. They said 3,648 vaccines have been administered in the last week.

The latest numbers were released around 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Testing

The Utah Department of Health reported that a total of 1,633,896 residents have been tested for the novel coronavirus – an increase of 10,101 of the total reported Friday.

Of those, a total of 248,970 have tested positive for the virus – an increase of 2,408 cases since Friday and 17,149 in the last week.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 2,706 per day – down 252 since last Saturday and 531 in the last two weeks. The rolling seven-day average for percent of positive laboratory tests was 22.1 percent.

Vaccinations

After taking the first delivery of coronavirus vaccines, the first doses have been administered earlier in the week.

The vaccine has been administered to 3,648 people.

Vaccinations in the state’s first distribution phase were going to “healthcare personnel who work in high-risk environments from the hospitals in the state that provide care to the highest number of COVID-19 patients.”

Officials said 23,400 vaccines have been ordered by the state, approved by the federal government and shipped.

Hospitalizations

The health department reported 559 people were being treated for COVID-19 in Utah hospitals. Total hospitalizations since the pandemic began was 9,968 people – an increase of 617 in the last week.

Utah officials said 99.4 percent of the 536 ICU beds across the state were full. Of those, 218 were being used by patients confirmed to have COVID-19. The remaining ICU beds were used by patients with other critical medical conditions.

Hospital officials have said, in addition to the beds nearing capacity, there was staffing for around 85 percent of those beds.

Only three beds remained available.

Deaths

The latest COVID-19 deaths in Utah included five women and three men. All but three were over the age of 65.

There have been 1,148 total deaths of residents from the disease in the Beehive State since the pandemic began – and increase of 110 in the last week.

Box Elder County

The deaths include a Box Elder County man who was between the ages of 65 to 84 and not hospitalized when he died.

Officials with the Bear River Health Department have reported 42 deaths in the district and 23 in Box Elder County. The health district also includes Cache and Rich counties.

Davis County

A Davis County woman between the ages of 45 to 64 65 was hospitalized when she died after contracting the virus.

The county has reported 78 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak.

Salt Lake County

Five additional Salt Lake County residents have died of COVID-19 – three women and two men. All were hospitalized at the time of death.

One of the women and one of the men were between the ages of 45 to 65. The other three were between the ages of 65 to 84.

There have been a total of 506 COVID-19 deaths in the county – 40 in the last week.

Utah County

Health officials also reported the death of a Utah County man over the age of 85. He was not hospitalized when he died.

The county has reported 193 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic – 20 in the last seven days.

National/Worldwide Numbers

There have been just under 17.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. Nearly 315,000 people have died of the disease, according to numbers compiled by the Coronavirus Resource Center at John Hopkins University.

There has been an increase of 1.6 million cases and 17,500 deaths in just the last seven days.

Across the globe there have been nearly 76 million cases and 1,680,000 deaths.

With just 4 percent of the worldwide population, the United States has accounted for 23.1 percent of the global cases and 18.7 percent of the deaths in the last week.

The first US case was confirmed on January 21, 2020. The number of new cases in the nation has skyrocketed in November, with a spike significantly higher than any other country.

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Coronavirus Resources

Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL wants to hear from you. Contact KSL by emailing social@ksl.com.

What is COVID-19? Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Healthy: ksltv.com/432037/what-is-covid-19/

Latest coronavirus stories from KSL can be found at ksltv.com/coronavirus/.

Where in the world has the coronavirus already appeared? See the map: ksltv.com/?p=432035

Your Life Your Health: How can parents prepare their home, children against coronavirus: ksltv.com/?p=432060

How do I prevent it?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water is not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

The CDC does not recommend wearing a facemask respirator to protect yourself from coronavirus unless a healthcare professional recommends it.