SALT LAKE CITY — Utah reported another high number of new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths on Saturday.
The state confirmed 572 cases of 4,422 tests, a 12.9% positive rate, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Over one-third of the new cases originated in Utah County, where Provo’s BYU recently started its fall term, inviting students and faculty back to campus. So far, the school has reported 258 total cases among students, faculty and staff for its current term, with 218 still active.
BYU’s daily average of cases rose from week one (16.7) to week two (20.1), and it reported a total of 141 new cases for week two, which spanned Sept. 4-10.
Utah Valley University, whose main campus also sits in Utah County, has a self-reported case count of 138 between staff, faculty and students as of Monday. The week prior, the school had 26 self-reported positive cases. Twenty-three of those were from students and three were faculty and staff, which represented a 38% increase in positive student cases and an 18% decrease in positive staff and faculty cases.
The University of Utah has reported 195 self-reported cases campus-wide since Aug. 15, and 90 self-reported cases between Sept. 3-10.
Now 57,247 of 712,229 people have tested positive for the disease in Utah since the pandemic began, an overall positive rate of 8%.
The rolling seven-day average for new cases is 421 per day, and the average positive test rate is 9.2%. Currently, 120 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, three fewer than on Friday. Just over 3,300 people have required hospitalization for the disease in Utah since the outbreak started.
The two deaths reported Saturday bring the state’s toll due to the coronavirus to 433. They were: a Davis County man between ages 65-84, who was a long-term care resident; and a Salt Lake County man between 45-64, who was hospitalized when he died.
About 48,400 of the state’s cases are considered recovered after surviving the three-week point since their diagnoses, meaning just over 8,400 cases remain active.
New COVID-19 cases reported Saturday by health district across Utah:
- Salt Lake County, 205.
- Utah County, 205.
- Weber-Morgan, 50.
- Bear River (Box Elder, Cache, Rich), 35.
- Davis County, 31.
- Southwest Utah, 23.
- San Juan County, 7.
- Tooele County, 4.
- Wasatch County, 4.
- Central Utah, 3.
- Southeast Utah, 3.
- Summit County, 2.
- TriCounty (Uinta Basin), 0.