Three more COVID-19 deaths in Utah, with more than 10,000 cases active for the first time

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Three other Utahns have died from COVID-19, including two who apparently were not receiving hospital care when they died.

Two Salt Lake County men, one aged 25 to 44 and the other 65 to 84, were not hospitalized when they died, the Utah Department of Health reported Thursday. Another man, from Cache County, also died. He was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when he died.

The vast majority of Utahns who have died from coronaviruses have died in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Health officials did not immediately disclose why two of the deaths announced Thursday occurred outside of hospital care. The three new deaths increase the number of COVID-19 state deaths to 176.

Meanwhile, Utah topped 10,000 active cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with 554 new cases reported. Of the 23,270 Utahns who have been diagnosed since the start of the pandemic, 13,076 are considered “recovered,” meaning they have survived for more than three weeks after testing positive. That leaves 10,194 cases active.

New hospitalizations remained high, with 29 new admissions reported Thursday and 184 patients currently occupying Utah hospital beds. In all, 1,505 Utahns were hospitalized for COVID-19.

There were 3,028 test results reported Thursday, with 18.3% positive. It is the second day in a row with positive test rates above 18%, something that has only happened another two days before this week.