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Utah reports almost 500 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths

After a nine-month low, number of new cases returns to plateau.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Angela Bolt administers COVID -19 vaccine to Robert Morarty, at the Mountain America Expo site in Sandy on Monday, March 8, 2021.

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The number of new COVID-19 cases bounced back up again on Tuesday, more than doubling after a nine-month low of 221 was reported in Utah on Monday. Meanwhile, more than twice as many tests were administered.

And, after reporting no new coronavirus-related deaths were recorded on Monday, the death toll increased by five on Tuesday.

Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 16,373 / 1,027,073.

Utahns fully vaccinated • 372,564.

Cases reported in past day • 481.

Deaths reported in past day • Five.

Washington County reported two deaths: A man between the ages of 65 and 84, and a man 85 or older.

Three counties each reported one death: A woman 65 to 84 in Salt Lake County, a woman in the same age range in Utah County, and a man 85-plus in Summit County;

Hospitalizations reported in past day • 171. That’s up seven from Monday. Of those currently hospitalized, 55 are in intensive care units — four fewer than on Monday.

Tests reported in past day • 5,476 people were tested for the first time. A total of 15,610 people were tested.

Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 8.8%. That’s slightly higher than the seven-day average of 8.3%.

Its new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Monday’s rate is now at 3.1%, lower than the seven-day average of 4.1%.

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

Totals to date • 379,081 cases; 2,032 deaths; 15,167 hospitalizations; 2,298,572 people tested.