Utah Reports 148 New COVID-19 Cases, Two Additional Deaths
May 24, 2021, 1:01 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Department of Health on Monday said two more Utahns have died from COVID-19 while 148 residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Currently, 135 people are hospitalized with the virus and an additional 5,166 vaccines have been administered, bringing the state’s total to more than 2.51 million.
UDOH also said over 1.17 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated.
For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.
Testing
UDOH reports 2,665,506 people have been tested — 1,411 more than Sunday. Of those, 404,625 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 148 new cases.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 271 — down from 274 on Sunday.
The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” dropped slightly to 6.4% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” remained at 3.6%.
Vaccinations
The state has administered 2,517,521 vaccines in total, which is an increase of 5,166 over Sunday’s numbers. As of Monday, over 1.45 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.17 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.
Over 3.04 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.
Hospitalizations
Currently, 135 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 45 of those people were in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 68.2% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 70.9% full Monday.
“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 new deaths were reported Monday. To date, the virus has killed 2,292 of the state’s residents.
- Male, between 65-84, Box Elder County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Utah 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.)