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The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Utah remained well above 400 for the second day in a row, and the positivity rates remained higher than the seven-day averages. The state also reported more than 1,300 total “breakthrough” cases — people who have contracted the coronavirus 14 days or more after they were fully vaccinated.
To be considered fully vaccinated, a person needs either the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
To date, there have been 1,331 breakthrough cases; 131 of those people have been hospitalized; and one has died. That’s about one in 1,000 fully vaccinated Utahns who caught COVID-19; about one in 10,000 who had to be hospitalized; and one in 1.37 million who died.
“While no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people, Utah data shows the vaccines have been remarkably effective in protecting vaccinated Utahns from COVID-19,” according to a statement from the state health department. “The data also indicates the vast majority of new cases are in unvaccinated people which is driving the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.”
Also on Thursday, the Utah Department of Health made some corrections to its vaccination numbers.
UDOH identified “several thousand doses” that had been mistakenly counted as first doses when they were, in fact, second doses. Correcting the error results in a 0.8% decrease in the number of Utahns who’ve had at least one dose of vaccine — that number now stands at 1,559,098. And it increases the number who have been fully vaccinated by 0.6%, to 1,370,627.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 7,412 / 2,809,865.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,370,627.
Cases reported in past day • 462.
Deaths reported in past day • One — a Sanpete County man between the ages of 65-84.
Tests reported in past day • 4,190 people were tested for the first time. A total of 7,099 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 158. That’s nine fewer than on Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 65 are in intensive care units, five fewer than on Wednesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 11.0%. That’s higher than the seven-day average of 8.9%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Thursday’s rate was 6.5%, higher/lower than the seven-day average of 5.9%
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 413,008 cases; 2,337 deaths; 17,372 hospitalizations; 2,774,848 people tested.
