Utah Reports 480 New COVID Cases, Two Additional Deaths
May 5, 2021, 12:47 PM | Updated: 1:00 pm
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Officials with the Utah Department of Health on Wednesday said 480 more Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 and two additional residents have died due to the virus.
An additional 18,687 vaccines have been administered, bringing the state’s total to more than 2.22 million, and there were 153 people hospitalized with the virus.
For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.
Gov. Spencer Cox announced during last week’s press conference that any organization can request a mobile vaccination clinic as part of efforts to reach out to more Utahns.
He also said there is no excuse for people not to get a vaccine because they are widely available and there are many appointments available across the state right now — including walk-in appointments in Salt Lake County.
Testing
UDOH reports 2,582,182 people have been tested — 7,190 more than Tuesday. Of those, 398,979 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 480 new cases.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 352 — down from 358 cases on Tuesday.
The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” rose from 6.5% to 6.6% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” rose from 3.4 to 3.5%%.
Vaccinations
The state has administered 2,223,511 vaccines in total, which is an increase of 18,687 over Tuesday’s numbers. As of Wednesday, over 1.32 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 986,000 Utahns had been fully vaccinated.
Over 2.61 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.
Hospitalizations
Currently, 153 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 62 of those people were in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 71.5% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 74.2% full Wednesday.
“At about 69% overall ICU utilization, ICUs in Utah’s major hospitals with the ability to provide best care for COVID-19 patients begin to reach staffing capacity,” UDOH officials said. “Seventy-two percent use among all hospitals and 77% in referral center hospitals creates major strains on the health care system. When 85% capacity is reached, Utah will be functionally out of staffed ICU beds, indicating an overwhelmed hospital system.”
Deaths
Two additional deaths were reported Wednesday. To date, the virus has killed 2,219 of the state’s residents.
The following deaths were reported Wednesday:
- Male, between 45-64, Weber County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 45-64, Millard County resident, hospitalized at time of death
Nationwide Numbers
Coronavirus Resources
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Click here to sign up for a vaccine and here to see how Utah’s vaccine rollout is progressing.
The latest COVID-19 stories from KSL can be found here.
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 are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies.)