HEALTH

Utah surpasses 3,000 deaths since start of COVID-19 pandemic

UPDATED: OCTOBER 12, 2021 AT 2:12 PM

The CDC's model of the coronavirus is show. Credit: CDC via CNN

BY BECKY BRUCE
News Director

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah passed a grim milestone on Tuesday, when the state health department reported more than 3,000 deaths in Utah since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest data from the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) shows 31 new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, for a total of 3,025 since the pandemic began.

COVID-19 deaths in Utah, by the numbers

Of the 3,025 deaths, UDOH shows the largest number came in the 65 — 84 age range. That group represents 1,448 of the total number of deaths. The next highest age group of Utahns to die from COVID-19 was the older than 85 range, with 746 deaths. Utahns age 45-to-64-year-olds registered the third highest number of deaths by age group, with 643. Between the ages of 25 and 44, some 171 Utahns have died, and 16 Utahns between the ages of 15 and 24 have died from COVID-19.

We don’t have an exact count of Utahns who have died from coronavirus in the 0 — 14 age range, because for any cohort with fewer than five deaths, state health officials list the number as <5. However, it’s likely to be just one, based on subtracting the total number of deaths in the previous paragraph from 3,025, which leaves 3,024.

COVID-19 cases counts on Tuesday

UDOH reported 4,366 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, for a total of 524,556 since the pandemic began. Health officials did not release numbers Monday, which means Tuesday’s numbers also include weekend totals.

Utah health officials said of the 4,366 new cases, 924 occurred among school-age children. Broken down, there were 481 new cases among children ages 5 — 10, 203 new cases among children ages 11 — 13, and 240 new cases among teens ages 14 — 17.

Vaccines and risk assessment

In the latest UDOH numbers, 27,173 more Utahns received the COVID-19 vaccine. To date, health officials in the state have administered 3,575,508 vaccine doses.

According to the health department, for the last 28 days, the risk of coming down with COVID-19 is 6.4 times greater for unvaccinated Utahns. For hospitalization, the risk to the unvaccinated is 11 times greater than that of vaccinated Utahns. And health officials report unvaccinated Utahns face 14.6 times greater risk of death than vaccinated Utahns.

Rolling averages and trends

According to UDOH, the rolling seven-day average for positive COVID-19 tests in Utah is 1,399 per day.

Health officials report an increase of 27,402 Utahns tested for COVID-19 since the day before, and an increase of 51,961 tests performed.

That means the rolling seven-day average of people testing positive in Utah is 15.7%, and the rolling seven-day average of total positive test results is 10.4%.

This story will be updated.

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Wear a mask to protect yourself and others per CDC recommendations.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet).
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities).
Obtain a flu shot.
Seek out the COVID-19 vaccine.