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With seven new Utah coronavirus deaths reported Thursday and the largest number of patients hospitalized simultaneously since the start of the pandemic, the effects of the virus’s spread continue to be felt even as new cases remain slightly lower than last week.
The seven Utahns who died were all residents of Salt Lake County. They were:
- Two women over the age of 85, living in long-term care facilities.
- A woman over the age of 85 who died in a hospital.
- A man, aged 45 to 64, who lived in a long-term care facility.
- Two men over the age of 85, who lived in a long-term care facility.
- A woman aged 65 to 84 years, who lived in a long-term care facility.
According to the Utah Department of Health, the COVID-19 state death toll as of Thursday was 267.
Meanwhile, there were 210 Utah patients currently hospitalized, the highest number yet. In all, 2,150 Utahns have been admitted to hospitals for COVID-19, 15 more than Wednesday.
The state reported 521 new cases on Thursday, a seven-day average of 598 new cases per day, below Wednesday’s average of 627. Governor Gary Herbert has said he wants the state’s seven-day average to be less than 500 new cases per day by August 1. That week will start in three days. Utah’s seven-day averages have not been below 500 in the past month.
Over the past week, 9.4% of new tests tested positive, slightly below Wednesday’s average of 9.5%.
Of the 36,099 Utahns who tested positive for COVID-19, 23,093 are considered “recovered,” that is, they survived at least three weeks after diagnosis.
