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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 1,669 on Tuesday as the state continues to experience a coronavirus spike that has seen cases skyrocket over the past few weeks.
Six more deaths were also reported Tuesday, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department now estimates there are 31,545 active cases of the disease in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 1,726, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 19.1%.
The new numbers indicate a 1.4% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 1,105,427 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 10.8% have tested positive for the disease. The state reported an increase of 7,834 tests conducted as of Tuesday.
There are now 366 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah — the highest number of current hospitalizations since the pandemic began and the second day in a row the state has broken the record. Of those, 152 are in intensive care units, another record high number.
About 74% of all intensive care unit beds in Utah are filled as of Tuesday, while about 48% of non-ICU beds are filled, state data shows.
The six deaths reported Tuesday were:
- A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Sanpete County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Tooele County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when she died
Tuesday's totals give Utah 119,375 total confirmed cases, with 5,665 total hospitalizations and 620 total deaths from the disease since the pandemic began.
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.
More information about Utah's health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
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.
