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SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health released updated coronavirus statistics for the state on Sunday afternoon, revealing 1,722 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five deaths from the disease.
The new case totals come as an additional 6,143 people have been tested, the health department reports, and bring the state to 193,809 total COVID-19 cases and 868 virus deaths since the start of the pandemic .
In an email, the health department said the five new deaths include:
- Weber County woman aged 65 to 84 who was hospitalized after her death
- Salt Lake County man over 85 living in long-term care facility
- Utah County man over 85 who was hospitalized
- Two Utah County men aged 65 to 84 who were hospitalized
Of the new cases reported, 609 were from Salt Lake County, 443 from Utah County, 212 from Davis County, 139 from Weber County or Morgan County, and 100 from the Southwestern District of Utah, which includes St. George. Other health districts in Utah have seen smaller jumps.
On Sunday, 564 Utahn would be hospitalized with COVID-19 and 207 would be in intensive care. Over the past week, the state is averaging 2,354 new confirmed cases per day and a positive test percentage of 21.4.
State leaders did not hold a coronavirus press conference over the weekend, but are expected to do so later this week; the conference usually takes place on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Gov. Gary Herbert enters the final weeks of his longtime administration facing one of the biggest challenges of his political life and has implemented a statewide permanent mask mandate to stem the tide virus.
Based on the state’s coronavirus health referral system, or “transmission index,” all but three counties in the state – Daggett, Piute and Rich – are in the “high” transmission level and should take precautions such as limiting occasional social gatherings to 10 people or less and ending alcohol sales in bars and restaurants by 10 p.m.
Governor-elect Spencer Cox said Tuesday that there is “real evidence that the changes we all made over the past 2 weeks are making a difference”, referring to the mask’s mandate and a now expired ban on extracurricular school activities and social gatherings with people outside the house.
But he said that “this plateau and this potential slowdown could be completely reversed by large Thanksgiving gatherings.” Previous vacations of 2020 like Memorial Day and Labor Day were followed by a peak in coronavirus – and the state can hardly afford a peak at this time, as coronavirus hospitalizations remain higher than ever and hospitals warn of limited capacity.
It remains to be seen how Thanksgiving will affect Utah’s case count, if at all. Sunday’s case count is the lowest since November 3, but relatively few tests have been reported.
State officials announced last week that Utahns who do not show symptoms of the coronavirus can now schedule a test, if they choose, by visiting TestUtah.com. The state had previously limited testing only to people with symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat or muscle pain.
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 confirmation, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported each day by the Utah Department of Health includes all COVID-19 cases since the start of the Utah epidemic, including those currently infected, those who have passed away. recovered from illness and those who died.
Cured cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three weeks or more ago and has not died.
The deaths reported by the state have typically occurred two to seven days before they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths can be even more distant, especially if the person is from Utah but died in another state.
The health department is reporting deaths from confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases according to the case definition set by the State Council and territorial epidemiologists. The number of deaths is subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
The data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district website.
More information on Utah’s health counseling levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
The information comes 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 to the “Data Notes” section ” at the bottom of the page.
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