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SALT LAKE CITY — After a summer spike, Utah is continuing to see a promising trend in new COVID-19 cases, though Utahns are now getting tests at a lower rate than earlier in the pandemic.
Tuesday, Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 362 from Monday, with four more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health. The state now estimates there are 9,638 active cases of the disease in Utah.
The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 399, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.9%.
The new numbers indicate a 0.8% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 578,549 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 7.7% have tested positive for COVID-19. The number of tests conducted has increased by 3,989 as of Tuesday, the state reported.
The state reports there are 189 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah as of Tuesday. Health department data shows 81 of those are occupying intensive care unit, or ICU, beds in Utah. About 60% of all ICU beds in Utah are occupied as of Tuesday, while about 47% of non-ICU beds are filled.
All four deaths reported Tuesday were Salt Lake County residents. One was a man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died. The second was a woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility. The third and fourth deaths were a man and a woman who were both between the ages of 65 and 84 and were residents of long-term care facilities.
Tuesday's totals give Utah 44,752 total confirmed cases, with 2,677 total hospitalizations and 349 total deaths from the disease. An estimated 34,764 cases are now thought to be recoveries from the disease. Utah's COVID-19 mortality rate is 0.8% as of Tuesday.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Tuesday. Utah officials typically provide updates at news conferences once a week on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah's outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not 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.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district's website.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the "Data Notes" section at the bottom of the page.
