Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
More than 9,700 Utahns received a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, and the total number of those fully vaccinated rose to more than 1.23 million. About 46% of the state’s residents have received at least one dose, and almost 38% have been fully vaccinated.
The Utah Department of Health also reported 343 new cases and three new deaths Thursday.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 9,713 / 2,612,068.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,229,238.
Cases reported in past day • 343.
Deaths reported in past day • Three: a man between the ages of 45 and 64 in Box Elder County; a man 45-64 in Utah County; and a man 65-84 in Washington County. One of the deaths occurred before May 3 and was only recently confirmed to be the result of COVID-19.
Tests reported in past day • 4,602 people were tested for the first time. A total of 8,115 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in past day • 140. That’s 10 more than Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 54 are in intensive care units, six more than on Wednesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 7.5%. That’s higher than the seven-day average of 6.6%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Thursday’s rate was 4.2%, about the same as the seven-day average of 4.0%
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 406,825 cases; 2,308 deaths; 16,893 hospitalizations; 2,701,777 people tested.
According to UDOH, Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties moved to “low” on the state’s COVID-19 transmission index for the first time since the pandemic began. Sevier County also moved to “low.” Wasatch County also currently meets the criteria to move to “low,” but that change happens only after a county has been at a higher level for 14 days.
Grand County moved to “high” on the transmission index. It’s now the only county in the state with that designation.
