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The Utah Department of Health on Wednesday reported 14 more COVID-19 deaths and 2,152 new coronavirus cases in the past day.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,469 per day.
An additional 2,011 Utahns were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the past day, bringing the total to 1,758,476 — 53.7% of Utah’s total population.
On Wednesday, health care providers throughout Utah began opening COVID-19 vaccine appointments to children ages 5-11 after federal officials on Tuesday issued a green light for the kid-size Pfizer shot.
Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. According to the Health Department, 94% of all ICU beds and 95.9% of ICU beds in larger medical centers are occupied. Of all ICU patients, 44.3% are being treated for COVID-19.
Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered • 12,366 / 3,783,453.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,758,476.
Cases reported in past day • 2,152.
Cases among school age children • Kids in grades K-12 accounted for 429 of the new cases announced Tuesday — 19.9% of the total. There were 203 cases reported in children aged 5-10; 117 cases in children 11-13; and 109 cases in children 14-18.
Tests reported in past day • 11,493 people were tested for the first time. A total of 23,856 people were tested.
Deaths reported in past day • 14.
Salt Lake County reported four deaths — a man and a woman 45-64, a man 65-84, and a woman 85-plus.
There were also four deaths in Utah County — a man and two women 65-84, and a woman 85-plus.
Two Uintah County residents died — a man 45-64, and a man 85-plus. Weber County also reported two deaths — a man 45-64 and a man 65-84.
A Box Elder County man 65-84 and a Summit County man 45-64 also died.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 554. That is 22 more than reported on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 217 are in intensive care, seven more than on Tuesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 18.7% over the past day. That is higher than the seven-day average of 17.7%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesday’s rate was 9%, lower than the seven-day average of 11.6%.
[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 15 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a Utah Department of Health analysis. The unvaccinated also were 10.8 times more likely to be hospitalized and five times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus.
Totals to date • 556,463 cases; 3,262 deaths; 24,321 hospitalizations; 3,734,619 people tested.
