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Almost 1,600 more Utahns tested positive for COVID-19 in the past day — and 24% of them were school-age children.
The Utah Department of Health reported 1,585 new cases, the highest number of new cases in a single day since there were 1,591 on Feb. 2. And 374 of the new cases were among kids in grades K-12. There were 163 cases in children ages 5-10; 82 cases in children 11-13; and 14-18 cases in children 14-18.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,122 per day, the highest that number since Feb. 8.
Twelve more Utahns died of the coronavirus, and seven of them were under the age of 65.
The case count is up 307 compared to one week ago (1,278 on Aug. 18). It’s almost five times what it was a month ago (331 on July 25), and almost six times what it was three months ago (276 on May 25). Six months ago, there were 655 new cases (on Feb. 25); and a year ago, there were 413 new cases (Aug. 25, 2020).
In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were five times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a UDOH analysis. The unvaccinated were also 6.5 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 4.9 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
An additional 4,932 Utahns were fully vaccinated in the past day, bringing the total to 1,556,679 — 47.6% of Utah’s total population
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 10,904 / 3,212,528.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,556,679.
Cases reported in past day • 1,585.
Deaths reported in past day • Twelve.
Salt Lake County reported four deaths — a woman between the ages of 25-44, two men 45-64, and a man 85-plus. And there were three deaths in Davis County — a woman 45-64, a man 65-84, and a man 85-plus.
Two Utah County residents died — a man 45-64 and a man 65-84. There were also two deaths in Millard County — a man 25-44 and a woman 65-84.
A Juab County man 25-44 also died.
Tests reported in past day • 10,411 people were tested for the first time. A total of 17,759 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 471. That’s 33 more than on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 189 are in intensive care, 12 more than on Tuesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 15.2%. That’s about the same as the seven-day average of 15.1%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesday’s rate was 8.9%, lower than the seven-day average of 10.7%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 457,098 cases; 2,605 deaths; 19,888 hospitalizations; 3,086,587 people tested.
According to the UDOH, Utah has seen 9,041 “breakthrough” cases of COVID-19 — people who contracted the virus two weeks or more after being fully vaccinated. That’s about 1 in every 172 people who are fully vaccinated.
Of that number, 510 have been hospitalized, 1 in about every 3,052 fully vaccinated people. And there have been 45 deaths, 1 in about every 3,459 fully vaccinated people.
This story is developing and will be updated.
