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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 2,701 on Tuesday, a day after Gov. Gary Herbert announced an updated health order designed to combat the surge in case numbers over the past several weeks.
Tuesday is the second day in a row Utah has reported under 3,000 new cases after six straight days of 3,000 or more cases per day, according to state data. Eleven more deaths were also reported Tuesday, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The state now estimates that there are 62,540 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 3,284, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 23%, a statistic that has slowly started to decrease as state officials have increased testing.
There are now 552 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 201 in intensive care unit beds, state data shows.
Herbert's previous health order outlawed social gatherings with people outside one's immediate household, but that expired Monday. Herbert announced an extension of the health order that continues many of the measures from the previous order but excludes mandates on how people can gather on people's own private property.
Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Herbert and state health officials instead have outlined recommendations for gathering, which still include limiting events to only people in the same household and capping them at 10 people or less.
The new numbers indicate a 1.5% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 1,367,935 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 13.3% have tested positive for the disease. The state reported an increase of 15,528 tests conducted as of Tuesday.
About 82% of all ICU beds in Utah are filled as of Tuesday, including about 86% of ICU beds at the state's referral hospitals, which are the 16 healthcare facilities in Utah with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 care, according to the health department. About 51% of non-ICU hospital beds are filled as of Tuesday, state data shows.
The 11 deaths reported Tuesday were:
- A Morgan County man who was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Utah County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when she died
- A Duchesne County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Wasatch County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was not hospitalized when she died
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 with an unknown hospitalization status
- A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Box Elder County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
Tuesday's totals give Utah 182,121 total confirmed cases, with 7,702 total hospitalizations and 808 total deaths from the disease. An estimated 118,773 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, according to the health department.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Tuesday. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and other state officials provided an update at a Monday news conference.
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.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
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.
