SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported 506 new COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths on Saturday.
After falling below a rolling daily average of 500 cases on Friday, the state continued to maintain that lower average on Saturday — the Aug. 1 deadline that Gov. Gary Herbert warned could bring greater government restrictions if that goal wasn’t met.
While case numbers have fallen, so has the number of people who are getting tested. Saturday’s cases were confirmed out of 4,350 tests, an 11.6% positive rate, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The current seven-day average of positive tests is 431 — down 26 since Friday — and the average of positive lab tests is 9.9%.
Now, 40,702 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed out of 533,260 people tested in Utah since the pandemic began, for a 7.6% positive rate.
Nearly 29,000 are considered recovered from the disease after surviving the three-week point since their diagnoses. Currently, 210 people in Utah are hospitalized with COVID-19, three fewer than on Friday. The state’s intensive care units — which have about 600 beds overall — are 67.2% full with coronavirus patients and others, while other hospital beds are 55.1% full.
The six deaths reported Saturday bring the state’s coronavirus death toll to 310. The new deaths include:
- A Salt Lake County woman, older than 85, who was a long-term care resident.
- A Salt Lake County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was a long-term care resident.
- A Salt Lake County man, older than 85, who was hospitalized before he died.
- A San Juan County woman, 65-84, who was hospitalized when she died.
- A Utah County man, 45-64, who was hospitalized when he died.
- A Utah County man, 65-84, who was a long-term care resident.
Although those in Salt Lake, Summit and Grand counties and Logan are required to wear masks in public, Herbert has refused to issue a statewide mask mandate. Earlier this month, when the state was averaging closer to 600 new COVID-19 cases per day, Herbert warned that if Utah didn’t reduce its rolling seven-day average to less than 500 cases by Aug. 1, he would consider a statewide mandate or “some more aggressive action by the government.”
On Friday, the governor’s office confirmed he is still considering a mask mandate and will watch Utah’s case counts into next week before he makes a decision.
The largest increases in cases Saturday occurred in Salt Lake County, where 201 were confirmed; Utah County, with 120; Weber-Morgan, with 49, Davis County, with 44; and Southwest Utah, with 39.
The latest breakdown of Utah cases, hospitalizations and deaths by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 19,237; 1,245 hospitalized; 176 deaths.
- Utah County, 7,808; 369 hospitalized; 35 deaths.
- Davis County, 2,953; 168 hospitalized; 13 deaths.
- Southwest Utah, 2,940; 166 hospitalized; 24 deaths.
- Weber-Morgan, 2,602; 159 hospitalized; 25 deaths.
- Bear River (Box Elder, Cache, Rich), 2,169; 95 hospitalized; 6 deaths.
- Summit County, 689; 53 hospitalized; 1 death.
- San Juan County, 622; 78 hospitalized; 24 deaths.
- Tooele County, 532; 26 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Wasatch County, 525; 20 hospitalized; 4 deaths.
- Central Utah, 376; 20 hospitalized; 2 deaths.
- TriCounty (Uinta Basin), 162; 9 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Southeast Utah, 87; 4 hospitalized; 0 deaths.