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SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah health officials reported 963 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, it marked the first time since February the state surpassed a seven-day average rate of more than 900 new cases each day.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 950 per day, and the average for percent positivity rate of those tested is 13.5%. Nearly 7,200 people have been tested for the disease since Friday.
Since Monday's report, 7,964 people received a vaccine dose, bringing the total number of vaccines given in the state to 3,145,877. Now, almost half of all Utahns are fully vaccinated — 47.6% — and 54.6% of residents have received at least one dose.
In the last 28 days, residents who are eligible for the vaccine but are still unvaccinated had five times greater risk of getting COVID-19, 6.5 times the risk of being hospitalized, and five times the risk of dying as people who are vaccinated, the Utah Department of Health said.
The more-contagious delta variant of the virus has become the prominent version of the disease spreading in much of the state including Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties, in southwest Utah, and in the Weber-Morgan health district, according to health department data.
While more contagious viruses are also often less severe, research is still underway to determine the delta variant's mortality and hospitalization rates compared to the earlier alpha variant.
In Utah, 382 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, 155 of whom are in intensive care units. ICUs throughout the state are 79.2% full, and nonintensive care units are 53.2% full.
No additional deaths were reported Tuesday due to a "complication" with fatality data transfer, according to the Utah Department of Health, and it will be reported on Wednesday.
