SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday took to Twitter to celebrate Utah’s success in keepings its COVID-19 mortality rate low but called for continued vigilance.
“The goal of our COVID response is to protect lives and livelihoods. While Utah has one of the lowest mortality rates and the lowest jobless rate in the nation, we still have a lot of work to do to get through this pandemic. Together, we can preserve life and rebuild our economy,” Herbert tweeted.
In a statement, Herbert’s office noted that because of Utah’s younger population, overall health and access to health care — as well as other other factors — the state continues to fare relatively well compared to others that have faced high death rates and larger economic toll.
Utah’s death rate of confirmed cases stands at about 0.8%.
“But we are far from declaring victory over this awful virus. One death is far too many, and we must all recommit to actions that slow the spread,” Herbert’s office said in the statement.
The office called for “a continued focus on mask-wearing, proper hand hygiene, and social distancing when appropriate, even greater advancements can be made. Gov. Herbert’s ultimate goal is to prioritize the health and well-being of our citizens while bringing back jobs, and he is confident we can continue to lead out on this effort.”
About 41,500 of Utah’s COVID-19 cases are considered recovered, meaning fewer than 9,000 now have confirmed active infections, according to the Utah Department of Health.
State health officials reported 403 new COVID-19 cases and seven additional deaths on Tuesday. The new cases were confirmed out of 4,245 tests.
Tuesday’s test numbers were artificially low and the positive rate was artificially high at 9.5% due to negative test results from one lab not being reported, according to state health department officials.
The unnamed lab’s delay in reporting negative results to the state’s electronic reporting system has affected the state’s numbers for the past several days, according to the health department, which is working with the lab to resolve the delay and adjust results.
Now nearly 20% of the state’s population has been tested, at 630,599. Of them, 49,767 — or 7.8% — tested positive.
The Beehive State ranks 25th in the nation for its testing rate, according to the COVID Mapping Project. By comparison, neighboring Idaho has tested about 13% of its residents, placing it in 44th place for its testing rate.
But Alaska, which has tested about 45% of its population, ranks the highest for its rate of COVID-19 testing. New York has the second-highest testing rate.
The rolling seven-day average for new cases is 370 per day, and the average positive rate of tests is 9.3%. Currently, 124 people are hospitalized with the disease in Utah, six fewer than on Monday. Just under 3,000 have required hospitalization since the pandemic hit the state.
The seven additional deaths reported Tuesday bring the state’s toll to 397. They were: a Sanpete County man older than 85 who was not hospitalized when he died; a Utah County woman older than 85, who was a long-term care resident; a Salt Lake County woman between 45-64, who was hospitalized when she died; a Weber County man between 45-64, who was hospitalized when he died; a Utah County woman between 65-84, who was a long-term care resident; a Weber County woman between 65-84, who was hospitalized when she died; and a Washington County man between 65-84, who was hospitalized when he died.
The latest breakdown of Utah cases, hospitalizations and deaths by health district:
- Salt Lake County, 23,029; 1,498 hospitalized; 226 deaths.
- Utah County, 10,316; 486 hospitalized; 45 deaths.
- Davis County, 3,670; 205 hospitalized; 22 deaths.
- Southwest Utah, 3,485; 201 hospitalized; 27 deaths.
- Weber-Morgan, 3,190; 203 hospitalized; 29 deaths.
- Bear River (Box Elder, Cache, Rich), 2,500; 126 hospitalized; 9 deaths.
- Summit County, 821; 53 hospitalized; 1 death.
- San Juan County, 662; 88 hospitalized; 28 deaths.
- Tooele County, 648; 32 hospitalized; 0 deaths.
- Wasatch County, 621; 25 hospitalized; 5 deaths.
- Central Utah, 490; 28 hospitalized; 3 deaths.
- TriCounty (Uinta Basin), 201; 18 hospitalized; 1 death.
- Southeast Utah, 134; 6 hospitalized; 1 death.