Coronavirus cases in Utah continue to drop, but deaths on the rise

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There was an increase of more than 20 deaths from COVID-19 last week.

(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Students line up for COVID-19 tests upon their return to Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Monday, February 8, 2021.

| February 28, 2021 at 6:41 pm

| Updated: 21:52

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As the number of daily coronavirus infections continues on its downward trajectory, there is a trend that is moving in the opposite direction.

Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise. There were 83 new deaths in the past week, up from just 59 the week before.

Vaccinations given the previous day / total vaccinations • 14,243 / 716,536.

As vaccinations continue to rise across the country, Utah announced this week that it will receive the newly authorized version of Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday. This particular vaccine only requires one dose and can be stored more easily compared to the Pfizer and Moderna iterations, which require two doses.

“It is a testament to modern research, science, public health and medicine. We are in a race to save as many lives as possible with vaccines, ”Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in a statement Friday. “This vaccine will do that. Remember that all three vaccines are safe and effective. You can be sure that one of them will protect you and those around you from COVID-19.

And with vaccinations already open to more people with underlying health conditions, the state will rely on the honor system and not require Utahns to prove they are eligible. Cox recently acknowledged that it’s possible for people to lie about an underlying illness.

Number of Utahn who received two doses • 254,569.

Cases reported the day before • 465.

Week-to-week cases continue to decline. In the past seven days, the total number of new cases was 4,500. It was 5,441 a week earlier. There has been no day this week where the daily count has exceeded 900.

Deaths reported the day before • Six – four men, two women.

Three of the men were from Summit County, Salt Lake County and Tooele County, respectively, and were all between the ages of 45 and 64; the fourth man was from Utah County and was over 85 years old.

The two women were between 65 and 84 years old. One was from Weber County and the other was from Salt Lake County.

Hospitalizations reported the day before • 203. This is 20 down from Saturday. Of those currently hospitalized, 84 are in intensive care units – five fewer than on Saturday.

Tests reported the day before • 4,365 people were tested for the first time. A total of 8,422 people were tested.

Percentage of positive tests • Under the original state method, the rate is 10.7%. This is below the seven-day average of 11.6%.

Utah’s new method counts all test results, including repeat testing of the same individual. Sunday’s rate is now at 5.5%, slightly above the seven-day average of 5.2%.

[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]

Totals to date • 371,235 cases; 1,935 deaths; 14,695 hospitalizations; 2,205,791 people tested.

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