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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 383 from Wednesday, with two more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Health officials now estimate there are 7,643 active cases of the disease in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 366, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.7%.
The new numbers indicate a 0.8% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 642,761 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 7.9% have tested positive for COVID-19. The number of tests conducted has increased by 5,432 as of Thursday, according to the health department.
There are currently 120 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Utah. That is a continuation of the downward trend in hospitalizations in the state over the past several weeks. In late July and early August, 200 or more Utahns were typically hospitalized on a given day, state data shows.
Of the 120 people hospitalized Thursday, 41 are occupying intensive care unit, or ICU, beds across Utah, state data shows. About 65% of all ICU beds in the state are filled as of Thursday, while about 54% of non-ICU beds are filled, according to the health department.
The two deaths reported Thursday were both Salt Lake County men. One was between the ages of 64 and 85 and was hospitalized when he died. The other was between the ages of 45 and 64, and it is unknown if he was hospitalized when he died, health officials reported.
Thursday's totals give Utah 50,557 total confirmed cases, with 3,015 total hospitalizations and 403 total deaths from the disease. A total of 42,512 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, according to the health department.
Utah officials gave a COVID-19 update Thursday morning during a Spanish-language news conference. Watch the replay of the event, with an English translation included, below.
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.
