Utah Reports 320 New COVID-19 Cases, Two Additional Deaths

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Officials with the Utah Department of Health on Saturday said two more Utahns have died from COVID-19 while 320 additional residents have tested positive for the virus.

UDOH said both deaths occurred before April 14.

Currently, 145 people are hospitalized with the virus and an additional 21,318 vaccines have been administered, bringing the state’s total to more than 2.39 million.

UDOH also said over 1 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated.

For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.

On Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox announced the statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools will end beginning the Monday of a school’s final week.

The order requiring masks in state facilities and for state employees ended Saturday.

Testing

UDOH reports 2,634,166 people have been tested — 4,915 more than Friday. Of those, 402,325 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 320 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 316 — down from 322 on Friday.

The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” remained steady at 6.5% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” remained at 3.6%.

Vaccinations

The state has administered 2,394,234 vaccines in total, which is an increase of 21,318 over Friday’s numbers. As of Saturday, over 1.38 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.1 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.

Over 2.91 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 145 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 51 of those people were in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 72% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 74% full Saturday.

“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 Saturday — UDOH said both occurred before April 14. To date, the virus has killed 2,258 of the state’s residents.

The following deaths were reported Saturday:

• Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized
• Female, between 25-44, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident

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.)