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Utah hits a grim milestone: 1,500 deaths from COVID-19

Patients in intensive care remain near record high.

(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) Members of a Hill Air Force Base honor guard remove the casket with Dallas Lynn Stevens, who served 38 years in the Utah Air National Guard, as he was laid to rest at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park in Bluffdale in June 2020. COVID-19 has killed 1,500 Utahns since the pandemic struck.

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Just short of one year since the first reported case of COVID-19 in the United States, Utah has reached 1,500 coronavirus-related deaths.

Utah’s first COVID-19 death was reported March 22, 2020, and the state reached 100 deaths on May 27, 66 days later. Less than a week passed between when Utah passed the 1,400 mark and when it hit 1,500.

(On Jan. 12, the Utah Department of Health reported 26 deaths to take the total to 1,422; 15 of those deaths occurred before Dec. 22 and were added to the list only after they were confirmed by medical examiners.)

The number of patients in intensive care remained at 214, near the all-time high in the state since the pandemic began.

The first confirmed U.S. case of COVID-19 was reported Jan. 21, 2020, though medical experts believe it was in the country weeks, if not months, earlier.

Vaccinations reported in past day/total vaccinations • 16,399 / 168,908.

Cases reported in past day • 1,082.

Deaths reported in past day 7.

Hospitalizations reported in past day • 568. That’s up 11 from Sunday. Of those currently hospitalized, 214 are in intensive care units — the same as on Sunday, and down 17 from a record high Saturday. As of Monday, 90.4% of the state’s ICU beds are filled; 45% of those hospitalized in ICUs are COVID-19 patients.

Tests reported in past day • 4,649.

Percentage of positive tests • 23.3%. This is higher than the seven-day average of 21.1%.

Totals to date • 324,919 cases; 1,500 deaths; 12,576 hospitalizations; 1,906,909 tests.

This story is developing and will be updated.