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Utah reports fewer than 500 new cases of COVID-19 again

The death toll climbs closer to 2,000, as Salt Lake County launches campaign to promote vaccinations.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Heidi Enger prepare for Covid 19 vaccinations, at the Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, on Monday, March 1, 2021.

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For the third day in a row, Utah reported fewer than 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. That number rose by 230 from Monday, but the number of tests more than doubled — from about 6,500 on Sunday to more than 14,500 on Monday.

The death toll continued to rise, with nine more fatalities reported on Tuesday. Two of those occurred before Feb. 9 and were only recently confirmed to be coronavirus-related.

Vaccinations administered in past day/total vaccinations • 20,268 / 741,297.

Number of Utahns who have received two doses • 263,173.

Cases reported in past day • 487.

Deaths reported in past day • Nine.

Salt Lake County reported two deaths: A woman between the ages of 65-84, and a woman 85-plus.

There were also two deaths in Utah County: A man 65-84, and a man 85-plus.

Five counties each reported one death: A man 65-84 in Davis County; a man 45-64 in Summit County; a man 65-84 in Tooele County; a man 65-84 in Washington County; and a woman 45-64 in Weber County.

Hospitalizations reported in past day • 213 That’s down one from Monday. Of those currently hospitalized, 92 are in intensive care units — three more than on Monday.

Tests reported in past day • 5,582 people were tested for the first time. A total of 14,540 people were tested.

Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 8.7%. That’s lower than the seven-day average of 10.5%.

Its new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Tuesday’s rate is now at 3.3%, lower than the seven-day average of 4.9%.

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

Totals to date • 371,979 cases; 1,949 deaths; 14,753 hospitalizations; 2,214,506 people tested.

Also on Tuesday, the Salt Lake County Health Department unveiled its new public awareness campaign and website, built around the theme “This Is Our Shot.” Advertising will direct residents to ThisIsOurShot.com for information about COVID-19 vaccinations: Who’s eligible, where to get vaccinated, and more.

“It’s important we inform the residents of Salt Lake County and others in our community in a timely, upfront manner as details and information change frequently,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson in a statement.

Headlines include: “This is our shot. Let’s take it,” “This is our shot. To hug again,” “This is our shot. It’s here, it’s effective, it’s free,” and “This is our shot. To get back to normal.”

“Our primary goal is to encourage people who live in Salt Lake County and surrounding areas of the importance of getting a COVID vaccination through outreach, education and awareness,” Gary Edwards, executive director of Salt Lake County Health Department, said in a statement. “A secondary goal of this campaign is to be a resource for accurate information.”