3.4K More Test Positive For COVID-19 As Utah Deaths Surpass 1,000

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported that 21 more Utahns have died as a direct result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to more than 1,000.

It’s the third day in a row that the state has reported that more than 20 people have died.

To date, 1,016 of the state’s residents have lost their lives because of the virus.

Health authorities also reported an additional 3,401 people tested positive for COVID-19, and 554 people are currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of the virus.

While the number of COVID-19 cases is still high, it’s far from the post-Thanksgiving surge health officials were expecting – a sign that Utahns heeded the warnings before the holiday.

During his weekly pandemic update, Gov. Gary Herbert said the state’s two-week social pause led to some success, and the call to limit social gatherings helped to slow the spread of the virus.

He said it appears many people decided to alter their Thanksgiving plans to include just those in their immediate households.

Decisions made as a state, as a community and as individuals do make a difference, Herbert said.

Sobering Milestone: 1,000 Utahns Lost To COVID-19

Testing

UDOH on Thursday reported a total of 1,539,603 Utahns have been tested for the virus so far. That’s an increase of 15,613 tests from Wednesday’s report.

Of those people, a total of 225,946 have tested positive for COVID-19 to date, which is an increase of 3,401 cases from yesterday.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 2,816 per day, and the rolling seven-day average for percent of positive laboratory tests is 26.2%.

Hospitalizations

There are currently 554 people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 220 of those people are in intensive care units. Another 14 patients are currently hospitalized with suspected cases of COVID-19.

Utah’s ICUs are 89.8% full, which is above the threshold for quality care due to the amount of caregivers available.

The ICU beds in the state’s referral centers are 93.8% full.

Referral Centers are the 16 hospitals in Utah with the capability to provide the best care for patients with COVID-19. Because most patients are transferred to these facilities, their utilization is the best reflection of the true hospital capacity in Utah when looking at ICU beds.

Deaths

Officials announced 21 more Utahns died because of COVID-19, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,016.

The following individuals’ deaths were reported Thursday:

1. Female, between 65-84, Box Elder County resident, long-term care facility resident
2. Male, between 65-84, Davis County resident, hospitalized at time of death
3. Female, older than 85, Iron County resident, long-term care facility resident
4. Male, between 65-84, Iron County resident, hospitalized at time of death
5. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
6. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
7. Female, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
8. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care resident
9. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
10. Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
11. Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
12. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
13. Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
14. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
15. Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
16. Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
17. Female, between 25-44, Tooele County resident, hospitalized at time of death
18. Male, older than 85, Uintah County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
19. Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident
20. Male, between 45-64, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident
21. Male, older than 85, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident

Visit coronavirus.utah.gov for more information.