Utah Reports 468 New COVID Cases, 13 Additional Deaths

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Officials with the Utah Department of Health on Wednesday said 13 more Utahns have died from COVID-19 while another 468 residents have tested positive for the virus.

UDOH said 12 of the 13 deaths occurred before April 12.

Currently, 142 people are hospitalized with the virus and an additional 13,602 vaccines have been administered, bringing the state’s total to more than 2.34 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 2,617,021 people have been tested — 6,480 more than Tuesday. Of those, 401,251 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 468 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 325 — down from 327 on Tuesday and 333 on Monday.

The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” remained 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 2,340,755 vaccines in total, which is an increase of 13,602 over Tuesday’s numbers. As of Wednesday, over 1.36 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.07 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.

Over 2.81 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 142 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 57 of those people were in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 66.9% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 70% full Wednesday.

“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

Thirteen additional deaths were reported Wednesday — UDOH said 12 of those deaths occurred before April 12. To date, the virus has killed 2,249 of the state’s residents.

The following deaths were reported Wednesday:

• Female older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, older than 85, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Male, older than 85, Weber County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, older than 85, Wasatch County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Male, older than 85, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, between 65-84, Washington County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death

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 wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies.)