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For the first time since Monday, the number of new coronavirus cases reported in Utah dipped below 500 — but not by much. According to the Utah Department of Health, there were 453 new cases.
UDOH also reported three more deaths due to the coronavirus. All three occurred before March 1, and were only recently confirmed as being caused by COVID-19.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 29,117 / 1,262,108.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 460,047.
Cases reported in past day • 453.
Deaths reported in past day • Three. All were between the ages of 45 and 64 — a man in Davis County, a woman in Millard County, and a man in Weber County.
Hospitalizations reported in past day • 130. That’s down four from Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 50 are in intensive care units — three fewer than on Thursday.
Tests reported in past day • 6,095 people were tested for the first time. A total of 16,782 people were tested.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 7.4%. That’s equal to the seven-day average of 7.4%. Its new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Friday’s rate is now at 2.7%, lower than the seven-day average of 3.8%.
Totals to date • 383,713 cases; 2,091 deaths; 15,400 hospitalizations; 2,361,969 people tested.
The continued downward trend in case counts is encouraging, said Dr. Mark Briesacher, chief physician executive at Intermountain Healthcare — but, he added, “we have to remain vigilant” against the virus.
“If you think of this as a marathon of how we’re going to respond to this virus,” Briesacher said Friday, “it’s fine to celebrate the victories that take place along that run. [But] let’s not lose our edge. Let’s not forget how serious this is.”
Speaking over Facebook Live in Intermountain’s weekly community briefing, Briesacher said that as the state-imposed mask mandate runs out on April 10, “what replaces it is the personal health mandate that we all do every day — to remain distanced, to watch our hands, to stay masked.”
One point where Utahns should stay vigilant, Briesacher said, is the arrival of spring break.
“We all saw the pictures from the beaches in Florida. I know we’re not going to be like that,” Briesacher said, referring to crowds in Miami who became so unruly that police instituted a curfew.
“As you go on spring break, just keep in mind the things you can still do to stay safe,” Briesacher said. “Maybe choose things that are more outdoor in orientation — head south for camping, stay in groups that are still small.”
— Tribune reporter Sean P. Means contributed to this story.
