Gov. Spencer Cox reacts to a question about his previous prediction of removing masks by the Fourth of July during the last weekly COVID-19 media briefing at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Briefings will now move to every other week.
With most metrics indicating the pandemic is winding down in Utah, during his press conference Thursday Gov. Spencer Cox shared his memories of the first days of the onset of the virus.
“We didn’t think this was going to be a big deal, but we had to be prepared,” Gov. Cox recalled. “And that the same things we would do to prevent the flu would prevent this. There was just so little that we knew about it.
“Certainly the time after Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive, that was a big moment. Remember, those were the fourth and fifth cases in the state of Utah. And that was when everything changed nationwide.”
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson again encouraged unvaccinated Utahns to get their shots.
“There’s still risk and danger out there, and it’s completely avoidable,” Henderson said. “If you can get vaccinated, please stop putting it off and go ahead and get it done. As we start to unmask and gather once again, the risk to those you who are not vaccinated will continue to exist. So please do so.”
No new COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday by the Utah Department of Health. There have been 2,294 COVID deaths in Utah over the course of the pandemic.
Positive cases of coronavirus grew by 309 in Utah Thursday which is more than the state’s current seven-day average for positive tests (245 a day.)
Since Wednesday 13,508 vaccine doses were administered statewide and total doses in the arms of Utahns during the pandemic has reached over 2.55 million.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 245 a day. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” is 6.7 percent. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” remains at 3.9 percent.
There are now 147 Utahs hospitalized with the coronavirus, two more than on Wednesday. Also, 53 people in intensive care units.
Idaho is reporting 2,088 coronavirus deaths and there are 191,738 confirmed COVID-19 cases. In the three southeast Idaho counties case counts include 1,197 positive cases in Franklin County, 390 in Bear Lake County and 363 in Oneida County.