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The number of new cases of COVID-19 reported in Utah continues to be a fraction of what it was a month ago, but the death toll continues to rise.
On Friday, the Utah Department of Health reported 11 more deaths. That brings the total reported so far in February to 290 — 6.6% of the total of 4,408 since the first death in Utah was reported 23 months ago on March 22, 2020.
There have been 335 deaths in the past month — 7.6% of the total.
The department also reported 425 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the eighth day in a row that the reported case count has been below 850.
The number of Utahns hospitalized with COVID-19 fell by 23 in the past day to 395. However, there are 101 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Utah intensive care units, nine more than on Thursday.
ICUs in the state’s larger “referral” hospitals were at 78.9% capacity, lower than the 85% threshold that hospital administrators have said is necessary to leave room for unpredictable staffing levels, new patients and availability of specialized equipment and personnel.
ICUs in those larger hospitals had surpassed 85% occupancy almost continuously since late August, but numbers dropped below that threshold last week. Overall, 74.7% of ICU beds across the state are filled, and 19.4% of ICU patients were hospitalized with COVID-19
A UDOH analysis continues to show that booster shots significantly decrease Utahns’ chances of dying of COVID-19. Over the past four weeks:
• An unvaccinated person who contracts the virus is 6.3 times more likely to die than a fully vaccinated person, and 19.1 times more likely than a boosted person.
• An unvaccinated person who contracts the virus is 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than a fully vaccinated person, and 6.5 times more likely than a boosted person.
• An unvaccinated person is twice as likely to contract the virus than a fully vaccinated person, and 2.5 times more likely than a boosted person.
According to state data, 61% of Utahns were fully vaccinated as of Thursday. However, just 26.7% of all Utahns have received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Find where to get vaccinated at coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine-distribution. Find where to get tested at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-covid-19-testing-locations.
Breakdown of updated figures
Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered • 5,165 / 4,940,572.
Number of Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,981,484 — 61% of Utah’s total population. That is an increase of 1,564 in the past day.
Cases reported during the past day • 425.
Vaccination status • Health officials do not immediately have or release the vaccination status of individuals who test positive, who are hospitalized or who die. They do calculate the overall risk ratios of these outcomes depending on vaccination status, which is listed below.
Tests reported in the past day • A total of 8,359 people were tested.
Deaths reported in the past day • 11.
There were three deaths in Salt Lake County — a man and woman between the ages of 25-44, and a man 45-64. There were also three deaths in Utah County — all men 65-84.
Davis County reported two deaths — a woman 65-84, and a man 85-plus. And three other counties each reported a single death — a Box Elder County woman 85-plus; a Sanpete County man 45-64; and a Weber County man 65-84.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 372. That is 23 fewer than reported on Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 101 are in intensive care, nine more than reported on Thursday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate was 12% in the past day. That is lower than the seven-day average of 18.4%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Friday’s rate was 5.1%, 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 • 921,956 cases; 4,408 deaths; 33,126 hospitalizations; 9,208,687 tests administered.
