Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) conference as the crowd talks over him and eats lunch at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)

The state’s announcement Thursday of 1,113 new cases of COVID-19 the last 24 hours prompted another plea from Gov. Spencer Cox for Utahns to reverse the numbers by getting vaccinated.

Today’s case count is another step in the wrong direction for our state,” said the Governor. “But we remain confident in vaccines to help us turn the tide. Unfortunately, nearly everyone who is getting sick and who will end up in the hospital because of today’s case counts, is unvaccinated.”

The Thursday case count is the most since 1,148 new cases were reported in mid-February.

“This pandemic of the unvaccinated is tragic because it is preventable,” Gov. Cox added. “It has never been easier to get a vaccine. While we are encouraged by the increases in vaccinations, we need more people to protect themselves and their families.”

There were three new COVID deaths reported statewide Thursday and there have been 2,450 total deaths in Utah since the start of the pandemic, including 114 in Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties.

More than 2.9 million Utahns have been tested for coronavirus and 5.3 million tests have been administered in the state since the start of the pandemic. More than 5,700 people were tested for the first time since Wednesday and 9,993 total tests were administered during that time.

The number of fully vaccinated Utahns has grown to 1,475,806.

Statewide COVID hospitalizations increased to 353 from 350 since Wednesday and 156 of those patients are in intensive care units, one fewer than on Wednesday. To date 18,526 Utahns have been hospitalized with the virus. That includes 998 in the Bear River Health District.

The new number of case counts is almost double the current rolling seven-days average of 691 cases a day. The new total of case counts over the 16 months of the pandemic is now 431,256.

Thursday Idaho reports 2,190 Idahoans have lost their lives to the virus. The state’s total is now 199,516 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Case counts in the three counties in southeast Idaho include 1,258 positive cases in Franklin County, 418 in Bear Lake County and 376 in Oneida County.



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