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In the final daily COVID-19 report from the Utah Department of Health, the state exceeded 2 million people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
That means more than six out of 10 Utahns — 2,000,477 — have either received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine since they first became available in December 2020.
Studies show that booster shots make a big difference in protection against COVID-19, however, and only 27.6% of Utahns are boosted.
The state plans to shut down many testing facilities and transition to a more “long-term, sustainable response” to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utah Department of Health has said. After Thursday, the state will no longer release daily COVID-19 data. Instead, it will update its dashboard once a week on Thursdays, starting next Thursday.
On Thursday, UDOH reported 140 new cases of COVID-19, marking the 23rd consecutive day that the state’s daily case count was below 200. Since the pandemic began, there have been 927,922 cases of COVID-19 reported in Utah.
The state also reported one more death Thursday. However, Utah’s coronavirus death toll remained at 4,714 because further testing showed a previously documented death reported on Feb. 28 was not caused by COVID-19.
Before visiting a test site, UDOH advised people to visit coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-covid-19-testing-locations for the latest information on operating hours, types of tests offered at each site, cost and more.
Tests, hospitalizations declining
The average number of new COVID-19 cases reported per day so far in March is 161. The average in the past week is 111.
The number of COVID-19 tests administered each day has fallen dramatically and remains relatively low. In January, at the height of the omicron variant spike, upward of 40,000 tests were being performed each day. On Thursday, the state reported 5,375 tests in the past day.
The number of people hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19 was 93, two fewer than on Wednesday. There are 18 coronavirus patients in intensive care units — one fewer than reported on Wednesday.
According to UDOH, 67.8% of Utah’s ICU beds are filled, which falls below the 85% threshold that healthcare workers have said is needed to have enough rooms, equipment and staff available to treat new patients. But only a small percentage of ICU patients are there because of COVID-19 — 5.1% of the state’s total.
The state reported 3,447 more vaccine doses administered in the past day, bringing the total to 5,008,767.
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 2.6 times more likely to die than a fully vaccinated person, and 8.9 times more likely than a boosted person.
• An unvaccinated person who contracts the virus is 1.8 times as likely to be hospitalized as a fully vaccinated person, and 4.3 times more likely than a boosted person.
• An unvaccinated person is 1.8 as likely to contract the virus than a fully vaccinated person, and 1.8 times more likely than a boosted person.
Find where to get vaccinated at coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine-distribution.
Breakdown of updated figures
Vaccine doses administered in the past day/total doses administered • 3,447 / 5,008,767.
Number of Utahns fully vaccinated • 2,000,477 — 61.6% of Utah’s total population. That is an increase of 723 in the past day.
Cases reported during the past day • 140.
Tests reported in the past day • A total of 5,375 people were tested.
Deaths reported in the past day • One — a Washington County man between the ages of 65-84.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 93. That is two fewer than reported on Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 19 are in intensive care, one fewer than reported on Wednesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate was 4.8% over the past day. That is higher than the seven-day average of 4%.
The state’s newer method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesday’s rate was 2.6%, slightly lower than the seven-day average of 2.9%.
Totals to date • 927,922 cases; 4,714 deaths; 34,034 hospitalizations; 9,410,984 tests administered.
