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SALT LAKE CITY — In its daily release of the latest coronavirus figures, the Utah Department of Health is reporting Sunday that an additional 331 tests have returned positive.
With the update, Utah has now had 46,652 confirmed cases of COVID-19. No new deaths were reported Sunday, leaving the state's toll at 363 Utahns lost to the disease.
The health department says 3,626 more Utahns have been tested over Saturday's numbers; the rolling seven-day average of positive tests over the past week is now 9.5%, and the rolling seven-day average number of daily cases during that same time is 357.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert had set a goal to get the state under a weekly average of 400 cases by Sept. 1, but that number was attained far in advance. One month ago, the seven-day average of new daily cases was 619. However, testing demand has fallen considerably during that time — there were nearly 7,500 new tests reported on that same day last month.
Currently, the health department says 164 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 in Utah. Less than 50% of the state's non-intensive care hospital beds are currently being used, the department says, but two-thirds of Utah ICU beds are occupied.
As students ready for a return to the classroom, Herbert and public health officials will update the public on the state's pandemic response this week. Their weekly news conference is typically held on Wednesday or 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.
