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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 552 from Thursday, with seven more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Health officials say Friday's total is "artificially high," as 144 of the cases reported Friday were from early July and are being reported now due to a lab reporting delay.
The state now estimates there are 8,937 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 369, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.8%.
Including the cases from the lab delay, the new numbers indicate a 1.2% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 589,817 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 7.8% have tested positive. The number of tests conducted has increased by 4,161 as of Friday, but the lab delay accounts for 1,700 of those results, according to the health department.
There are currently 171 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah. That is the lowest number of hospitalizations Utah has seen since June 25, state data shows. Of the patients hospitalized Friday, 69 are occupying intensive care unit, or ICU, beds in the state.
About 66% of all ICU beds in Utah are occupied as of Friday, while about 53% of non-ICU beds are filled, state data shows.
The deaths reported Friday were:
- A San Juan County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Utah County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when she died
- Three Salt Lake County women who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were residents of long-term care facilities
- A Salt Lake County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility.
Utah's mortality rate for COVID-19 is 0.8% as of Friday, where it has remained for the past several weeks.
Friday's totals give Utah 45,976 total confirmed cases, with 2,744 total hospitalizations and 360 total deaths from the disease. The state estimates that 36,679 COVID-19 cases are now recovered.
There is not a COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Friday. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and other state leaders gave a COVID-19 update at a news conference Thursday.
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.
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Jacob Klopfenstein
