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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported 655 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths on Friday.
The new cases were confirmed out of 4,426 tests, for a 14.8% positive rate, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Since the previous day, 6,320 people received vaccines, bringing the total vaccinations in the state to 2,902,020.
The average of daily new cases over the past seven days is now at 411, officials said, and the average percentage of positive tests is 11.6%.
Thursday marked the highest daily increase in cases in a single day in nearly four months. Utah's current COVID-19 surge has been attributed to the spread of the highly contagious delta variant among unvaccinated Utahns.
In hospitals throughout the state, 237 people are currently hospitalized with the disease.
The latest deaths:
- A Utah County man between the ages of 45 and 64 who was hospitalized at the time of death.
- A Utah County man, 25-44, hospitalized.
- A Tooele County woman, 65-84, not hospitalized.
- A Carbon County woman older than 85, not hospitalized.
- A Weber County woman, 65-84, hospitalized.
A previous death from May was also removed after further review by medical examiners.
Twelve Utah counties are now designated as high transmission areas for COVID-19 under the state's transmission index system: Box Elder, Carbon, Duchesne, Iron, Juab, Millard, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele, Uintah and Washington. That is the most counties rated at that level since March.
Cache, Davis, Emery, Grand, Morgan, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah, Wasatch and Weber counties are rated at the moderate transmission level, according to the health department. All other Utah counties are at the low transmission level.
