Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.
There were no COVID-19 related deaths reported in Utah on Thursday — until the Department of Health later announced that was an error. The report of zero deaths was “due to a data transmission error,’ the department said on Twitter.
Deaths that should have been reported on Thursday will be added to Friday’s count.
According to UDOH, the last day when there were no coronavirus-related deaths recorded was Sept. 15.
But it was still the No. 3 cause of death in Utah as of this week, both cumulatively for the past nine months and for the past week, just behind heart disease and cancer, according to an analysis by Erin Clouse, a public health expert at the University of Utah.
In fact, the weeklong death toll for coronavirus surpassed cancer just a week or two ago, and was ahead of even heart disease until about Christmas.
There was about a month period from November to December, where COVID-19 was the leading cause of death per day in Utah, the analysis found.
Also Thursday, the state reported it had passed 2 million people tested — about 63% of Utah’s population.
Vaccinations reported in past day/total vaccinations • 16,579 / 267,027.
Cases reported in past day • 1,761.
Deaths reported in past day • None.
Hospitalizations reported in past day • 444. That’s down eight from Wednesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 157 are in intensive care units — four fewer than on Tuesday.
Tests reported in past day • 10,917.
Percentage of positive tests • 16.13%. This lower than the seven-day average of 18.26%.
Totals to date • 342,445 cases; 1,620 deaths; 13,279 hospitalizations; 2,000,023 tests.
