Utah Reports 963 COVID-19 Cases; Deaths To Be Reported Wednesday Due To Technical Error

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Tuesday said 963 residents tested positive for COVID-19, and any additional deaths from Tuesday will be reported on Wednesday “due to a complication with the fatality data file transfer.”

Currently, 382 Utahns are hospitalized due to the virus and the ICUs at Utah’s 16 referral center hospitals were 81.6% full — just below the state’s “functionally full” threshold of 85%.

The state’s seven-day rolling average of positive tests was 950 — up from 903 on Monday and 844 on Friday.

An additional 7,964 vaccine doses have been administered since Monday, bringing the state’s total to 3,145,877.

UDOH said over 1.52 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated and over 1.75 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Vaccinated Vs. Unvaccinated Risk Ratios

On Thursday, UDOH added data on risk ratios among the vaccinated and the unvaccinated for testing positive, becoming hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19  to the public data dashboard.

That data can be found by clicking on the “Risk Factors” tab at coronavirus.utah.gov.

In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 5.0 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6.5 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5.0 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

Since Feb. 1, people who are unvaccinated are at 8.6 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6.0 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5.5 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

Of the 1,490,839 Utahns who have been fully vaccinated, 7,284 (0.48858%) have tested positive for COVID-19, 433 have been hospitalized (0.02904%) and 29 have died (0.00195%).

Utah has reported 447,771 positive COVID-19 cases, 19,429 hospitalizations and 2,537 deaths.

“The UDOH determines vaccine status for cases using two methods — by linking all known cases to vaccination records reported into the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIIS) and through self-report by asking all cases if they have been fully vaccinated,” UDOH officials said. “Breakthrough cases may be overrepresented in the data due to this self-reporting.”

Testing

UDOH reports 3,026,931 people have been tested — 7,151 more than Monday. Of those, 447,771 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 963 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 950 — up from 903 on Monday and 827 last Monday.

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 13.5% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” rose to 9.6%.

Vaccinations

The state has administered 3,145,877 vaccine doses in total, which is an increase of 7,964 over Monday’s numbers.

As of Tuesday, over 1.75 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.52 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.

Over 3.54 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 382 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 155 of those people were in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 79.2% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 81.6% full Tuesday — just below the state’s utilization threshold or “functionally full” mark 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

As of Monday, the virus had killed 2,537 of the state’s residents. “Due to a complication with the fatality data file transfer, new deaths from (Tuesday) will be reported (Wednesday),” UDOH officials said.

Nationwide Numbers

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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 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).