Utah Reports 728 COVID-19 Cases, Five Additional Deaths
Aug 3, 2021, 1:10 PM
(KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Tuesday said five more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 and 728 additional residents have tested positive for the virus.
Currently, 395 Utahns are hospitalized due to the virus — among the state’s highest numbers since February — and the ICUs at Utah’s 16 referral center hospitals were 82.3% full on Tuesday — just below the state’s “functionally full” threshold of 85%.
The state’s seven-day rolling average of positive tests has more quadrupled since June 1, jumping from 200 to 877 on Tuesday.
An additional 6,830 vaccine doses have been administered since Monday, bringing the state’s total to 3,041,947.
UDOH said over 1.48 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated and over 1.68 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
State health officials also released the following statement from Gov. Spencer Cox last week:
“Today’s case count is another step in the wrong direction for our state. But we remain confident in vaccines to help us turn the tide. Unfortunately, nearly everyone who is getting sick, and who will end up in the hospital because of today’s case counts, is unvaccinated. This pandemic of the unvaccinated is tragic because it is preventable. It has never been easier to get a vaccine. While we are encouraged by increases in vaccinations, we need more people to protect themselves and their families.”
Out of the 1,456,892 Utahns who have been fully vaccinated, fewer than 5,000 (0.33%) have tested positive for COVID-19, 310 have been hospitalized (0.02128%) — fewer than the 395 Utahns hospitalized on Tuesday with the virus — and 15 have died (0.00103%).
As of Tuesday, 2,471 Utahns have died due to COVID-19.
Testing
UDOH reports 2,938,515 people have been tested — 6,018 more than Monday. Of those, 435,439 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 728 new cases.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 877 — up from 861 on Monday and 755 on Friday.
On June 1, Utah’s rolling seven-day average was 200 cases.
The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” rose to 15% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” rose to 10.6%.
Vaccinations
The state has administered 3,041,947 vaccine doses in total, which is an increase of 6,830 over Friday’s numbers.
As of Tuesday, over 1.68 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.48 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.
Over 3.41 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.
Hospitalizations
Currently, 395 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 171 of those people were in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 80.5% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 82.3% full Tuesday — just below the state’s utilization threshold of 85%.
“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
To date, the virus has killed 2,471 of the state’s residents. The following deaths were reported Tuesday:
- Female, between 65-84, Millard County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Kane County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 45-64, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 65-84, Sanpete County resident, hospitalized at time of death
Nationwide Numbers
Coronavirus Resources
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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 unvaccinated Americans should continue wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).