Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,517 on Friday, with 35 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The new deaths reported reflect the two-day total from Thursday and Friday. A data transmission error led to the health department not including deaths on Thursday's COVID-19 statistics report.
Sixteen of the deaths on Friday's report should have been included on Thursday's report, according to the health department. Six of the deaths included on Friday's report occurred before the first of the year but were still being investigated by the Utah state medical examiner's office.
The health department now estimates there are 40,845 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 1,550, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 18.1%.
There are 446 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 148 in intensive care, state data shows. About 88% of all intensive care unit beds in Utah were filled as of Friday, including 92% of ICU beds in the state's 16 referral hospitals. About 60% of non-ICU hospital beds are filled in Utah, according to health department data.
A total of 281,797 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 267,027 Thursday. Of those, 48,263 are second doses that have been administered as of Friday, state data shows.
The new numbers indicate a 0.4% increase in positive cases since Thursday. Of the 2,009,407 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.2% have tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests conducted increased by 13,172 Friday, and 9,384 of those were tests of people who had not been previously tested for COVID-19, according to the health department.
Gov. Spencer Cox celebrated the numbers in a tweet saying there was a decrease among health care workers.
Can I share some hopeful news? While case counts are decreasing across the state, we have seen a much sharper decline (approx 26%) among healthcare workers the past few days. Since they were 1st to receive the vaccine, this is the first real evidence we have that it's working!👊
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) January 29, 2021
The 35 deaths reported Friday were:
- Two Box Elder County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A Carbon County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Davis County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Davis County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- An Iron County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were residents of long-term care facilities
- Two Salt Lake County women who were over the age of 85 and were residents of long-term care facilities
- A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
- Two Salt Lake County men who were over the age of 85 and were residents of long-term care facilities
- 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 25 and 44 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Salt Lake County woman who was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when she died
- Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 45 and 64 and were hospitalized when they died
- Two Salt Lake County women who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A Summit County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
- A Tooele County woman who was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when she died
- A Tooele County man 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 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
- Three Utah County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
- A Washington County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
Friday's totals give Utah 343,962 total confirmed cases, with 13,353 total hospitalizations and 1,655 total deaths from the disease. The health department estimates that 301,462 Utah COVID-19 cases are now recovered.
There is no COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Friday. Utah officials provided a pandemic update at a news conference on 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.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
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.
