It is becoming routine for the Utah Health Department’s daily reports to include more than 1,000 new coronavirus positive tests — it is 1,107 today — but the Friday report of 15 deaths is unprecedented.

UDOH spokesman Tom Hudachko explains.

“Of the 15 new deaths we are reporting today, nine occurred during the last week, two occurred earlier in September, two occurred in August and two occurred in July,” Hudachko says. “The deaths we report on a daily basis often occur several days, or even weeks, prior to our reporting them publicly.”

He said that is due to the time it takes for deaths to be reported to UDOH by hospitals, long term care facilities or funeral homes.

Reporting the 15 deaths Friday means there have been 474 Utahns lost to COVID-19 the last six months.

The rolling seven-day average of positive tests dipped below 1,000 again (945) while the new rolling seven-day average for percent of positive laboratory tests is still high at 13.7 percent.

The number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the state’s Friday report decreased by 11 to 190.

The Friday Bear River Health Department report indicates 49 new cases in the district, 41 in Cache County and eight in Box Elder County.

There have been 3,506 positive cases over the course of the pandemic in the Bear River Health District, 2,895 in Cache County, 592 in Box Elder County and 19 in Rich County.

Among the new positives in the district, 2,774 are considered “recovered”. There is still one patient from Cache County hospitalized in the district.

The total number of positive cases detected since early-March in Utah has grown to 75,157. Among those positive tests in Utah since the outbreak, 56,167 are considered recovered.

There have been 845,583 people tested in Utah during the pandemic.

The most recent report from Idaho indicates 42,561 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. There have been 472 COVID deaths with 129 positive tests in Franklin County, 46 positives in Bear Lake County and 26 in Oneida County.







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