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The Utah Department of Health reported 461 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, a fraction of the number of cases reported during the omicron variant surge in January and early February.
By comparison, UDOH reported 3,459 new cases on Feb. 2 — a tally 86.7% higher than the amount of cases reported on Wednesday’s date, March 2.
In the past week (Feb. 24-March 2) combined, there have been a total of 2,453 new cases reported in Utah. That marks just 18% of Utah’s single-day high of 13,521 new cases reported on Jan. 14.
The health department on Wednesday also reported 19 additional deaths, bringing Utah’s total to 4,436, since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. Eleven of the 19 deaths reported on Wednesday were of Utahns age 85 or older. Ten of the deaths occurred before Feb. 2 and were only recently confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19.
Officials on Wednesday also reported 306 patients hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19 — eight fewer than reported Tuesday — and 63 COVID-19 patients in Utah’s intensive care units, down seven from Tuesday.
ICU occupancy rates were up slightly. Officials reported that 70.8% of all Utah ICU beds were occupied, compared to 68.3% the day before. ICUs in the state’s larger “referral” hospitals were at 72.8% capacity, slightly higher than Tuesday’s 71.4%.
Both Wednesday ICU figures were below 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.
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 4.9 times more likely to die than a fully vaccinated person, and 13.7 times more likely than a person who has received a booster dose.
• An unvaccinated person who contracts the virus is 2.4 times more likely to be hospitalized than a fully vaccinated person, and 6.4 times more likely than a person who has received a booster dose.
• An unvaccinated person is twice as likely to contract the virus than a fully vaccinated person, and 2.4 times more likely than a person who has received a booster dose.
According to state data, 61.1% of Utahns were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday. However, just 26.8% 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 • 2,434 / 4,950,811.
Number of Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,984,750 1,983,989 — 61.1% of Utah’s total population. That is an increase of 761 in the past day.
Cases reported during the past day • 461.
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 8,529 people were tested.
Deaths reported in the past day • 19. Ten of the deaths occurred before Feb. 2.
Salt Lake County reported six deaths — three men between the ages of 65-84, and two men and a woman 85 or older.
There were three deaths in Utah County — two men and a woman 85 or older.
Two Uintah County residents died — a woman 45-64, and a man 85 or older. There were also two deaths in Washington County — a man 65-84, and a man 85 or older.
Six counties each reported a single death — a Cache County man 65-84; a Davis County woman 85 or older; a Juab County woman 85 or older; a Sevier County man 85 or older; a Tooele County woman 65-84; and a Weber County woman 65-84.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 306. That is eight fewer than reported on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 63 are in intensive care, seven fewer than on Tuesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate was 11.9% in the past day. That is lower than the seven-day average of 13.2%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesday’s rate was 5.4%, lower than the seven-day average of 7.9%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 923,591 cases; 4,436 deaths; 33,326 hospitalizations; 9,246,945 tests administered.
