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 weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
For the third day in a row, the number of new cases of the coronavirus in Utah easily exceeded 600. There were 655 reported on Friday, 695 on Thursday and 673 on Wednesday.
A total of 1,996 have tested positive for the virus in the last three days. The last time the count was above 600 three days in a row was Feb. 24-26, about four-and-half months ago.
UDOH reported five more deaths due to coronavirus, and, after further review by the medical examiner, removed one reported on May 21.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 6,320 / 2,902,020.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,426,782.
Cases reported in past day • 655.
Deaths reported in past day • Five — a woman in Carbon County over the age of 85; a woman 65-84 in Tooele County; two men in Utah County, one 25-44 and one 45-64; and a woman 65-84 in Tooele County..
Tests reported in past day • 4,426 people were tested for the first time. A total of 7,624 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 237. That’s seven more than on Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 100 are in intensive care, eight more than on Thursday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 14.8%. That’s higher than the seven-day average of 11.6%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Friday’s rate was 8.6%, higher than the seven-day average of 7.8%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 418,976 cases; 2,393 deaths; 17,757 hospitalizations; 2,825,596 people tested.
This story is developing and will be updated.
