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Utah reports 53% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated

12 more Utahns died of COVID-19 in the past day, according to the Utah Department of Health.

(Courtesy University of Utah Health) University of Utah Health unboxes their COVID-19 vaccines, prep the doses, and giving vaccinations to front-line health care workers on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020.

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Another 12 Utahns died of COVID-19 in the past day, according to the Utah Department of Health, bringing Utah’s death toll to 3,118 since the pandemic began.

Two of those who died were between the ages of 25-44, and two others were between the ages of 45-64.

The Health Department on Thursday reported 2,340 new coronavirus cases, but about 800 of those new cases were identified over the past week rather than the past day. They were not previously reported because of “system-wide delays in laboratory reporting,” according to the Health Department.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,381 per day.

Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. According to the Health Department, 95% of all ICU beds and 98.6% of ICU beds in larger medical centers are occupied. Of all ICU patients, 39.6% are being treated for COVID-19.

An additional 2,692 Utahns were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the past day, bringing the total to 1,733,812 — 53% of Utah’s total population.

Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered • 9,375 / 3,643,224.

Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,733,812.

Cases reported in past day • 2,340.

Cases among school age children • Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 514 of the new cases announced Thursday — 22% of the total. There were 270 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 117 cases in children 11-13; and 127 cases in children 14-18.

Tests reported in past day • 12,723 people were tested for the first time. A total of 24,616 people were tested.

Deaths reported in past day • 12.

Salt Lake County reported three deaths — a woman 45-64, and a man and a woman 65-84. There were also three deaths in Utah County — a woman 25-44 and two men 65-84.

Two Davis County residents died — both women 65-84.

And four counties each reported one death — a Box Elder County man 85 or older; a Carbon County man 45-64; an Iron County woman 85 or older; and a Washington County man 25-44.

Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 552. That is 18 more than reported on Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 196 are in intensive care — seven fewer than reported Wednesday.

Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 12.1% over the past day. That’s lower than the seven-day average of 15.7%.

The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Thursday’s rate was 6.3%, lower than the seven-day average of 10.2%.

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

Risk ratios • In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 15.1 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a UDOH analysis. The unvaccinated also were 10.6 times more likely to be hospitalized and 5.6 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.

Totals to date • 537,276 cases; 3,118 deaths; 23,472 hospitalizations; 3,629,093 people tested.