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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 727 from Thursday, with one more death reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department now estimates there are a total of 12,476 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 599, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 10.3%.
A total of 198 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Utah, with 96 in intensive care unit, or ICU, beds across the state. About 71% of ICU beds at Utah hospitals are occupied as of Friday, the health department reports. Just under 55% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied in Utah Friday, according to state data.
Friday's totals give Utah 32,572 total confirmed cases, with 1,984 total hospitalizations and 235 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 31,845 cases in the state.
The new numbers indicate a 2.3% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 447,806 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 7.3% tested positive for COVID-19. There have been a total of 526,288 tests conducted in Utah so far, and the number of tests conducted increased by 8,278 as of Friday, the health department reported.
The person who died was a Weber County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84, according to the health department. He was hospitalized when he died.
A total of 19,862 COVID-19 cases are considered recovered, because those people were diagnosed with the disease three or more weeks ago and have not died, according to health department data.
The updated numbers come after a report was released Friday morning listing Utah among 18 states that the White House coronavirus task force says are in the coronavirus "red zone" for cases and should roll back reopening measures amid surging cases.
In a statement Friday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's office said the state receives regular reports from the White House, and the reports typically correspond with the data the state sees.
"The data seems to correspond well with our own data, and we appreciate their suggestions. Those recommendations generally track well with the actions our state and local health departments are already pursuing, though of course our actions are more targeted on the specific circumstances of our outbreaks,” Herbert's office said.
The health department said White House officials send regular reports about individual states.
"The White House Coronavirus Task Force has published weekly state-specific snapshots for several weeks now. The report provides a concise look at the current situation in Utah," the department said in an emailed statement Friday. "We share these reports with our partners throughout the state, and they are just one of the many considerations we take into account when determining how the state can limit the spread of COVID-19."
The total number of cases reported by the health department includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are infected now, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Friday. Utah officials typically provide updates at news conferences once a week on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
