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The state of Utah saw another 2,415 cases of COVID-19 in two days, and 17 more deaths from the disease, according to the Utah Department of Health.
UDOH reported 1,556 new cases on Wednesday, and 908 new cases on the Thanksgiving holiday. (The department removed 49 cases from the total count through data quality analysis.) The rolling seven-day average of new positive cases stands at 1,318.
Four of the 17 Utahns whose deaths were reported were between the ages of 25 and 44; five were between 45 and 64.
Friday’s report brings the number of deaths in Utah from COVID-19 for the last seven days to 59. Utah has seen 3,487 of its residents die from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020.
The number of children getting vaccinated continues to climb — 64,287 children ages 5-11 have gotten a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since they became eligible; that’s about 17.6% of kids that age in Utah, according to the Health Department.
Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. The health department reported that 91.3% of all ICU beds in Utah and 94.5% of ICU beds in larger medical centers in the state are occupied. (Hospitals consider any figure over 85% to be functionally full). Of all ICU patients, 43.6% are being treated for COVID-19.
Vaccine doses administered in the past two days/total doses administered • 19,800 / 4,102,108.
Number of Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,797,454 — 54.9% of Utah’s total population. That’s an increase of 2,183 in the past two days.
Cases reported in past two days • 2,415.
Cases among school-age children • Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 548 of the new cases announced Friday — 22.7% of the total. There were 306 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 127 cases in children 11-13; and 115 cases in children 14-18.
Tests reported in past two days • 16,535 people were tested for the first time. A total of 34,892 people were tested.
Deaths reported in past two days • 17.
Eight of the deaths reported were from Utah County: Two men, each 25-44; two men, each 45-64; two men, each 65-84, and a man and a woman, each 85 or older.
Two Salt Lake County men — one 25-44, the other 45-64 — were among the deaths reported.
The deaths of two Iron County residents were reported: A woman 25-44, and a man 65-84.
Two Washington County residents’ deaths were reported: A man 65-84, and a woman 85 or older.
UDOH also reported the deaths of a Carbon County woman 45-64, a Davis County woman 45-64, and a Rich County woman 65-84.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 505. That is 25 fewer than reported on Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 206 are in intensive care, 11 fewer than reported on Wednesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 14.6% in the past day. That is lower than the seven-day average of 16.2%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Friday’s rate was 6.9%, lower than the seven-day average of 10.4%.
[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 15.2 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a Utah Department of Health analysis. The unvaccinated also were 10.3 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 4.2 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
Totals to date • 592,130 cases; 3,487 deaths; 25,727 hospitalizations; 3,944,461 people tested.
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