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Seventeen more Utahns died of COVID-19 in the past day, according to the Utah Department of Health, bringing the total number of deaths in the past week to 75. Utah’s death toll rose to 3,067 since the pandemic began.
Two of the deaths reported Friday were people between the ages of 25-44, and six were 45-64.
The Health Department reported 1,493 new coronavirus cases on Friday. The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,288 per day.
ICUs in the state remain near capacity. According to the Utah Department of Health, 92.9% of all ICU beds and 96.1% of ICU beds in larger medical centers are occupied. Of all ICU patients, 43.2% are suffering from COVID-19.
An additional 2,915 Utahns were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the past day, bringing the total to 1,722,932 — 52.7% of Utah’s total population.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 10,304 / 3,605,421.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,722,932.
Cases reported in past day • 1,493.
Cases among school age children • Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 287 of the new cases announced Friday — 19.2% of the total. There were 158 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 62 cases in children 11-13; and 68 cases in children 14-18.
Tests reported in past day • 9,296 people were tested for the first time. A total of 17,535 people were tested.
Deaths reported in past day • 17.
There were seven deaths in Salt Lake County: A woman between the ages of 25 and 44, a man and a woman 45-64, a man and a woman 65-84, and a man and a woman 85+.
Kane County reported two deaths: A man 45-64, and a man 65-84. There were also two deaths in Utah County — a man 45-64, and a man 65-84 — and two deaths in Weber County: A woman 25-44, and a man 65-84.
Four counties each reported one death: A Cache County man 45-64; a Tooele County woman 45-64; a Uintah County man 65-84; and a Washington County man 65-84.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 559. That’s 14 fewer than reported on Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 209 are in intensive care — four fewer than Thursday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 16% over the past day. That is slightly higher than the seven-day average of 15.7%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Friday’s rate was 8.6%, lower than the seven-day average of 10.4%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Risk ratios • In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 12.6 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a UDOH analysis. The unvaccinated also were 11.6 times more likely to be hospitalized and 6.2 times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
Totals to date • 529,147 cases; 3,067 deaths; 23,066 hospitalizations; 3,582,749 people tested.
Two more schools have reached the state-designated threshold for a COVID-19 outbreak this fall, putting the total at eight.
Edgemont Elementary in Provo School District reached the level this week when more than 30 of its 500 students tested positive. It held a Test to Stay event where a “high number of positive results [were] identified in students and employees.” The Utah County Health Department recommended that the school move to virtual learning for three days — Oct. 11 through 13 — before fall break.
Foothill Elementary in Box Elder School District also hit the threshold this week and will host a Test to Stay event. That includes testing all students with parent permission. Those who test negative can return to class in person; those who test positive or refuse to test must stay home for two weeks.
— Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner contributed to this story.
