Utah Reports Zero Deaths, 360 New COVID-19 Cases
May 8, 2021, 9:51 AM | Updated: 10:00 am
(Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Officials with the Utah Department of Health on Saturday said 360 more Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 and 139 people are currently hospitalized with the virus.
An additional 23,022 vaccines have been administered, bringing the state’s total to more than 2.28 million.
UDOH also said over 1 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated.
For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.
Gov. Spencer Cox previously announced 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.
Thursday was state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn’s final press conference.
Testing
UDOH reports 2,594,327 people have been tested — 5,450 more than Thursday. Of those, 399,760 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 386 new cases.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 342 — down from 349 Friday.
The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” dropped slightly to 6.6% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” dropped slightly to 3.4%.
Vaccinations
The state has administered 2,284,307 vaccines in total, which is an increase of 23,022 over Friday’s numbers. As of Saturday, over 1.34 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.
Over 2.71 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.
Hospitalizations
Currently, 139 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 58 of those people were in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 74.3% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 75.9% full Friday — percentages that are close to creating “major strain” on the state’s health care system, according to UDOH.
“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
Zero additional deaths were reported Saturday.
To date, the virus has killed 2,223 of the state’s residents.
Nationwide Numbers
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.
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.)