We’re making this important information available without a subscription as a public service. But we depend on reader support to do this work. Please consider supporting independent journalism in Alaska, at just $1.99 for the first month of your subscription.
The latest count follows over a month of declining cases. Alaska saw a surge of infections in November and early December that strained hospital capacity. For the first time since September, daily case counts fell into the double digits twice last week.
Hospitalizations have fallen along with cases, and are now less than a third of where they were during the peak in November and December. By Friday, there were 40 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state. Another three patients were believed to have the virus.
The COVID-19 vaccine reached Alaska in mid-December. By Thursday, 101,631 — nearly 14% of Alaska’s total population — had received at least their first vaccine shot, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. That’s far above the national average of 8.4%.
Among Alaskans 16 and older, 18% had received at least one dose of vaccine by Friday. The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use for people aged 16 and older, and Moderna’s has been cleared for use in people 18 and older.
Health care workers and nursing home staff and residents were the first people prioritized to receive the vaccine. In early January, the state said Alaskans older than 65 were now eligible, although appointment slots are limited and have filled quickly.
Thousands of new vaccine appointments went live on the state’s website last week, many of which are still available. Seniors and other eligible health care workers can call 907-646-3322 for assistance making an appointment.
Despite the lower case numbers throughout January, Alaska is still in the highest alert category based on the current per capita rate of infection, and public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to keep up with personal virus mitigation efforts like hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing.
Of the 163 cases announced among Alaska residents Friday, there were 41 in Anchorage plus three in Eagle River; one in Anchor Point; one in Seward; one in Soldotna; one in Cordova; 13 in Fairbanks plus one in North Pole; one in Delta Junction; 17 in Palmer; 33 in Wasilla; six in Juneau; four in Ketchikan; one in Sitka; and six in Bethel.
Among communities with populations under 1,000 not named to protect privacy, there were two in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, one in the Aleutians East Borough; 23 in the Bethel Census Area; one in the Dillingham Census Area; and six in the Kusilvak Census Area.
There were also 87 cases among nonresidents in Alaska, including two in Anchorage, 80 in the Aleutians East Borough; and five in Unalaska.
While people might get tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
The state’s data doesn’t specify whether people testing positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the nation’s infections are transmitted from asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.
Across the state, 2.45% of COVID-19 tests conducted over the past week have come back positive.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 1,591 on Wednesday, with 12 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Three of those deaths occurred before January 14 but were still being investigated by the Utah state medical examiner’s office, according to the health department.
There are now an estimated 35,431 active COVID-19 cases in Utah, according to the health department. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 1,334, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 16.6%.
There are now 352 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 119 in intensive care, state data shows. About 75% of intensive care unit beds in Utah are filled as of Wednesday, including about 79% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 54% of non-ICU hospital beds are filled, according to the health department.
A total of 345,179 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 325,457 Tuesday. Of those, 77,824 are second doses of the vaccine, according to state data.
The new numbers indicate a 0.5% increase in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 2,044,811 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.1% have tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests conducted increased by 16,507 as of Wednesday, and 9,149 of those were tests of people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19.
The 12 deaths reported Wednesday were:
Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 65 and 84 and were hospitalized when they died
Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 45 and 64 and were hospitalized when they died
A Utah County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
A Weber County man who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Box Elder County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
A Davis County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Washington County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
Wednesday’s totals give Utah 350,000 total confirmed cases, with 13,648 total hospitalizations and 1,697 total deaths from the disease. A total of 312,872 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, according to the health department.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to provide a pandemic update at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the governor’s office.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
A judge on Tuesday ordered all inmates in the Oregon prison system to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations — a move that should make prisoners immediately eligible for inoculation.
The preliminary injunction orders all Oregon Department of Corrections inmates be offered a vaccine as part of phase 1A, group 2, of Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccination plan — putting prison inmates in the same category as people living in nursing homes and other congregate care settings.
The order should make prisoners eligible for vaccines now, but it’s not clear if they’ll move ahead of teachers or the elderly. But given that the Oregon Health Authority dictates where vaccines are shipped, the state has the ability to redirect doses for prisons.
“This will save an incredible amount of lives,” said Juan Chavez, an Oregon Justice Resource Center attorney who is representing a group of seven inmates.
The order will allow adults in custody to “stand in the same line” as others in congregate living facilities with a high risk of COVID-19 infection, Chavez said.
“As far as jumping the line ahead of anybody, they should’ve been vaccinated already,” he said.
The decision comes after seven inmates at Oregon correctional facilities filed motions Jan. 21 for the federal government to intervene and immediately compel the state to vaccinate all prison inmates against COVID-19. The same inmates first filed a class action lawsuit in federal court last April seeking protection against the spread of COVID-19.
Inmates across the state have described horrid conditions in the state’s correctional facilities as 3,392 cases of COVID-19 and 42 deaths have been confirmed in prisons to date.
In her ruling, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman noted state officials had prioritized residents of other types of congregate care settings, such as nursing homes, but bypassed inmates, despite widespread COVID-19 outbreaks in the state’s prisons.
The decision to exclude the state’s prison population from high-tier priority lists demonstrated “deliberate indifference to the serious risk of harm” prisoners face from COVID-19, the judge concluded.
Beckerman was unswayed by the state’s argument that the public interest called for teachers to be vaccinated first, so children could return to school. The judge pointed out the prisoners’ attorneys weren’t asking for inmates to be vaccinated first, just that they be vaccinated at the same time as teachers.
Chavez pointed out that Oregon’s current rate of vaccination is about 12,000 a day — roughly the same size of the state prison population. Any diversion of vaccines would be equivalent to a day’s worth of vaccines administered, compared to the previous plan, which put prisoners behind 900,000 others, he said.
To date, the state has used 65% of its vaccine allotment, according to Oregon Health Authority numbers.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY JAIL VACCINATIONS
The first vaccinations of Multnomah County Jail inmates began Tuesday, as the county administered vaccines to 108 adults at the Inverness Jail. More inmates will be vaccinated once more doses are available, according to Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, a county spokeswoman.
Sullivan-Springhetti said the county has always planned to treat jails as part of the high-risk congregate settings category for vaccinations.
These vaccinations began as two more outbreaks have been reported in Multnomah County and Josephine County jails in recent days.
There have been 107 cases of COVID-19 and no deaths during the Inverness Jail’s current outbreak, which began Jan. 15, Sullivan-Springhetti said. That’s equivalent to 21% of the current population of 512 inmates.
An ongoing outbreak at the Multnomah County Detention Center also has affected 26 staff and 10 inmates since October.
To prevent further spread at the Inverness Jail, at least two dormitories have been placed in isolation and three others on quarantine, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
All inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 have been moved into an isolation dorm for about two weeks. Those who have been exposed to the coronavirus but tested negative are in quarantine for the same amount of time.
Those in quarantine are being tested every few days and anyone with symptoms is offered COVID-19 testing, Sullivan-Springhetti said.
The outbreak has caused delays in court hearings for those in the affected dorms, according to Multnomah Public Defender Michael Rees.
A release hearing for one of his clients was abruptly canceled last week, Rees said, and a remote hearing via video was not rescheduled until Tuesday morning. Rees said he was told the hearing was canceled because his client was in a locked down dorm.
“I think the jail should’ve started taking this seriously ages ago,” Rees said. “People sitting in there are at risk of serious illness and death.”
The Inverness Jail is at about 77% capacity, according to the most recent figures from Sullivan-Springhetti. The county reduced its jail population by 30% near the start of the pandemic due to fewer arrests, early releases of sentenced inmates and stepped-up pretrial releases.
The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office reported 30 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 using rapid testing since Jan. 26. All inmates and staff will be tested again Feb. 8 to verify the results using PCR testing, which uses genetic material.
The OHA, meanwhile, reported 619 new confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases and 23 more deaths Tuesday.
Here are today’s coronavirus numbers:
Where the new cases are by county: Baker (2), Benton (16), Clackamas (59), Clatsop (8), Columbia (2), Coos (10), Crook (3), Curry (2), Deschutes (18), Douglas (15), Harney (3), Hood River (7), Jackson (54), Jefferson (5), Josephine (23), Klamath (18), Lake (3), Lane (32), Lincoln (5), Linn (10), Malheur (5), Marion (42), Morrow (1), Multnomah (135), Polk (21), Sherman (3), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (25), Union (9), Wallowa (3), Wasco (4), Washington (64) and Yamhill (10).
Deaths:
The 1,905th death is a 72-year-old Clackamas County man who tested positive Jan. 12 and died Jan. 23 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
The 1,906th death is a 90-year-old Clackamas County woman who tested positive Jan. 3 and died Jan. 16 at her residence.
The 1,907th death is an 88-year-old Clackamas County woman who tested positive Dec. 29 and died Jan. 24 at her residence.
The 1,908th death is a 90-year-old Deschutes County woman who tested positive Jan. 22 and died Jan. 26 at her residence.
The 1,909th death is an 82-year-old Deschutes County woman who tested positive Jan. 4 and died Jan. 19 at her residence.
The 1,910th death is a 79-year-old Deschutes County woman who tested positive Jan. 8 and died Jan. 19 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.
The 1,911th death is a 68-year-old Deschutes County woman who tested positive Jan. 4 and died Jan. 5 at her residence.
The 1,912th death is a 70-year-old Douglas County man who tested positive Jan. 6 and died Jan. 26 at Mercy Medical Center.
The 1,913th death is an 81-year-old Hood River County woman who tested positive Jan. 12 and died Jan. 27 at her residence.
The 1,914th death is a 93-year-old Jackson County woman who tested positive Jan. 28 and died Jan. 29 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
The 1,915th death is an 86-year-old Jackson County woman who tested positive Dec. 24 and died Jan. 1 at her residence.
The 1,916th death is a 91-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive Dec. 27 and died Jan. 17 at his residence.
The 1,917th death is an 88-year-old Columbia County man who became symptomatic Dec. 26 after contact with a confirmed case and died Jan. 25 at his residence.
The 1,918th death is an 81-year-old Jackson County man who tested positive Jan. 23 and died Jan. 29 at his residence.
The 1,919th death is an 83-year-old Klamath County woman who tested positive Jan. 20 and died Jan. 28 at her residence.
The 1,920th death is an 89-year-old Klamath County woman who tested positive Jan. 20 and died Jan. 26 at Sky Lakes Medical Center.
The 1,921st death is a 74-year-old Klamath County man who tested positive Jan. 11 and died Jan. 23 at his residence.
The 1,922nd death is an 86-year-old Klamath County woman who tested positive Jan. 4 and died Jan. 21 at her residence.
The 1,923rd death is an 87-year-old Lake County woman who tested positive Jan. 27 and died Jan. 29 at Lake District Hospital.
The 1,924th death is a 71-year-old Lincoln County woman who tested positive Jan. 9 and died Jan. 27 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
The 1,925th death is an 85-year-old Malheur County woman who tested positive Jan. 13 and died Jan. 26 at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.
The 1,926th death is a 75-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Jan. 16 and died Jan. 28 at Salem Hospital.
The 1,927th death is a 43-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive Dec. 31 and died Jan. 25 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center.
The 1,928th death is a 69-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Dec. 31 and died Jan. 26 at Salem Hospital.
The 1,929th death is a 64-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Dec. 26 and died Jan. 28 at Salem Hospital.
The 1,930th death is a 76-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Dec. 21 and died Jan. 26 at Salem Hospital.
The 1,931st death is an 88-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Nov. 19 and died Dec. 12 at his residence.
The 1,932nd death is an 84-year-old Marion County woman who tested positive Nov. 8 and died Nov. 29 at her residence.
The 1,933rd death is a 90-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Jan. 26 and died Jan. 29 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
The 1,934th death is an 86-year-old Marion County man who tested positive Jan. 17 and died Jan. 26 at his residence.
The 1,935th death is an 82-year-old Morrow County man who tested positive Jan. 5 and died Jan. 24 at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center in Idaho. He had no underlying conditions.
The 1,936th death is a 72-year-old Washington County man who died Jan. 5 at Portland VA Medical Center. His death certificate listed disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
The 1,937th death is a 67-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Dec. 13 and died Jan. 1 at her residence.
The 1,938th death is a 53-year-old Washington County man who died Dec. 6 at his residence. His death certificate listed disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
The 1,939th death is a 97-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Dec. 9 and died Jan. 17 at her residence.
The 1,940th death is a 74-year-old Washington County man who died Jan. 5 at his residence. His death certificate listed disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
The 1,941st death is an 84-year-old Union County woman who tested positive Jan. 20 and died Jan. 29 at Grande Ronde Hospital.
The 1,942nd death is a 79-year-old Polk County man who tested positive Jan. 13 and died Jan. 25 at Salem Hospital.
The 1,943rd death is a 69-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive Jan. 5 and died Jan. 23 at Oregon Health & Science University.
The 1,944th death is a 53-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Dec. 26 and died Jan. 6 at Adventist Hospital.
The 1,945th death is a 59-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive Dec. 8 and died Jan. 8 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center.
The 1,946th death is a 75-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive Dec. 3 and died Jan. 4 at his residence.
The 1,947th death is a 78-year-old Multnomah County man who tested positive Nov. 30 and died Dec. 14 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
The 1,948th death is an 85-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Nov. 23 and died Nov. 28 at her residence.
The 1,949th death is a 93-year-old Multnomah County woman who tested positive Nov. 11 and died Nov. 21 at her residence.
The 1,950th death is a 93-year-old Multnomah County woman who died Dec. 6 at her residence. Her death certificate listed disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
The 1,951st death is a 95-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Jan. 4 and died Jan. 28 at her residence. She had no underlying conditions.
The 1,952nd death is a 73-year-old Washington County woman who tested positive Jan. 11 and died Jan. 18 at OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center.
The 1,953rd death is a 95-year-old Washington County woman who died Jan. 22 at her residence. Her death certificate listed disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
The 1,954th death is a 67-year-old Yamhill County woman who tested positive Jan. 8 and died Jan. 26 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.
The 1,955th death is a 66-year-old Yamhill County man who tested positive Jan. 12 and died Jan. 22 at his residence.
The 1,956th death is a 98-year-old Yamhill County woman who tested positive Jan. 19 and died Jan. 22 at her residence.
The 1,957th death is an 85-year-old Yamhill County woman who tested positive Jan. 21 and died Jan. 22 at her residence.
The 1,958th death is an 81-year-old Crook County man who tested positive Jan. 1 and died Jan. 23 at St. Charles Bend Hospital.
Unless noted above, each person who died had underlying health conditions or state officials were working to determine if the person had underlying medical conditions.
The prevalence of infections: The state reported 699 new positive tests out of 16,540 tests performed, equaling a 4.2% positivity rate.
Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (37); 10-19 (67); 20-29 (101); 30-39 (109); 40-49 (93); 50-59 (76); 60-69 (62); 70-79 (43); 80 and older (20).
Who’s in the hospital: The state reported 262 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections in the hospital Tuesday, nine fewer than Monday. Of those, 61 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, three fewer than Monday.
Vaccines: Oregon reported 454,246 doses of vaccine have been administered, or about 65% of the doses received. Oregon reported 15,967 newly administered doses, which includes 10,712 on Monday and the remainder from previous days.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 143,978 confirmed or presumed infections and 1,981 deaths, among the lowest per capita numbers in the nation. To date, the state has reported 3,218,747 lab reports from tests.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,201 on Tuesday, with 17 more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Six of those deaths occurred before January 13 but were still being investigated by the state medical examiner’s office, according to the health department.
The health department estimates there are now 36,747 active COVID-19 cases in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 1,394, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 16.6%.
There are 396 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 130 in intensive care, state data shows. About 76% of all intensive care unit beds are occupied in Utah as of Tuesday, including about 79% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 52% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied, according to health department data.
A total of 325,457 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 311,785 Monday.
The new numbers indicate a 0.3% increase in positive cases since Monday. Of the 2,035,662 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.1% have tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests conducted increased by 14,840, and 7,499 of those were tests of people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19.
The deaths reported Tuesday were:
A Davis County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when she died
A Salt Lake County woman who was over the age of 85 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Salt Lake County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when she died
Two Utah County women who were over the age of 85 and were residents of long-term care facilities
A Washington County woman who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
Two Washington County women who were over the age of 85 and were residents of long-term care facilities
A Weber County woman who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Cache County man who was was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when he died
A Salt Lake County man who was was over the age of 85 and was not hospitalized when he died
A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
Two Salt Lake County men who were between the ages of 35 and 44 and were hospitalized when they died
A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was hospitalized when he died
A Salt Lake County man who was was over the age of 85 and was hospitalized when he died
A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
Tuesday’s totals give Utah 348,409 total confirmed cases, with 13,576 total hospitalizations and 1,685 total deaths from the disease. An estimated 309,977 Utah COVID-19 cases are now being considered recovered, according to the health department.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to provide a pandemic update at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the governor’s office.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 584 on Monday, with three more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
That marks the lowest single-day new COVID-19 case total since September. It’s the second time in the new year Utah has reported under 1,000 cases, along with 859 new cases reported on January 25.
The health department estimates there are now 37,692 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. Monday’s rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is 1,425, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 16.7%.
There are 402 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 129 in intensive care, state data shows. About 80% of all intensive care unit beds in Utah hospitals are occupied Monday, including about 82% of ICU beds in the state’s 16 referral hospitals. About 54% of all Utah hospital beds are occupied, according to the health department.
A total of 311,785 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 310,692 Sunday. Of those, 63,711 are second doses of the vaccine.
Monday’s new numbers indicate a 0.2% increase in positive cases since Sunday. Of the 2,028,163 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17.1% have tested positive for the disease. The total number of tests conducted increased by 4,818 as of Monday, and 3,516 of those were tests of people who had not previously been tested for COVID-19, according to the health department.
The three deaths reported Monday include:
A Box Elder County man who was between the ages of 45 and 64 and was a resident of a long-term care facility
A Salt Lake County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
A Utah County man who was between the ages of 65 and 84 and was hospitalized when he died
Monday’s totals give Utah 347,208 total confirmed cases, with 13,515 total hospitalizations and 1,668 total deaths from the disease. A total of 307,848 Utah COVID-19 cases are now considered recovered, state data shows.
There is not a COVID-19 news conference scheduled for Monday. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is scheduled to provide a pandemic update at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to his office.
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
SALT LAKE CITY — The gradual decline of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Utah continued Sunday as the state health department reported 1,194 new cases, as well as two additional deaths from the disease.
The department also says 10,176 more Utahns have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, for a total of 310,692 doses now administered. More than 63,000 Utahns have now received a second vaccine dose, required for maximum effectiveness.
Currently, 413 Utahns are hospitalized because of the coronavirus, including 131 in intensive care. That’s dipped statewide ICU capacity back just below the 85% mark, the point at which hospitals consider ICUs to be “functionally full.”
Over the past week, the state is averaging 1,464 new cases reported per day and a positive test rate of 16.9%.
The new numbers come as 12,862 more test results were reported since Saturday, including of 6,472 Utahns test who hadn’t been tested before.
Overall, Sunday’s update brings the state to 346,624 confirmed cases; 1,665 deaths; 3,339,677 total tests conducted on 2,024,647 different people; and 13,468 related hospitalizations.
The two deaths reported were of an Iron County woman over age 85 who was hospitalized when she died; and a Weber County man between ages 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized.
There is no COVID-19 news conference from state officials scheduled for over the weekend. Gov. Spencer Cox and health officials will update the public on the state’s pandemic response later this week; the conference usually occurs on Thursdays.
Last week
Methodology:
Test results now include data from PCR tests and antigen tests. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after they are confirmed, but negative test results may not be reported for 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported by the Utah Department of Health each day includes all cases of COVID-19 since Utah’s outbreak began, including those who are currently infected, those who have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and has not died.
Referral hospitals are the 16 Utah hospitals with the capability to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
Deaths reported by the state typically occurred two to seven days prior to when they are reported, according to the health department. Some deaths may be from even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports both confirmed and probable COVID-19 case deaths per the case definition outlined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. The death counts are subject to change as case investigations are completed.
For deaths that are reported as COVID-19 deaths, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19, according to the health department.
Data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district’s website.
More information about Utah’s health guidance levels is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
Information is from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at the bottom of the page.
3,957 new COVID-19 cases, 87 additional deaths reported in Massachusetts
Updated: 5:03 PM EST Jan 30, 2021
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 3,957 confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 495,599 since the start of the pandemic. State health officials also added 87 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state’s total, which is now 14,241. An estimated 72,965 cases are active across Massachusetts, according to the report.On Friday, the DPH said a technical issue delayed the reporting of almost 24,800 laboratory results — both positive and negative — which would normally have been included in that day’s counts.The delayed results from Friday were included in Saturday’s report, according to state health officials. Click here to see a graphical look at COVID-19 dataLatest town-by-town breakdown released by state Saturday’s report said 1,739 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized in Massachusetts, of which 393 were reported to be in an intensive care unit. The last time the number of ICU patients was below 400 was Dec. 19, 2020.In the state’s weekly report released on Thursday, 192 communities were in the “Red,” or at high risk of COVID-19, down from 222 communities last week.The state says there have been 389,717 recoveries as of this week.PHNjcmlwdCBpZD0iaW5mb2dyYW1fMF85MTUyMTg3My03NmRhLTQ0ZmUtOTA0Ny1mMTllZWFlZGFjNmQiIHRpdGxlPSJDb3JvbmF2aXJ1cyBpbiBNYXNzYWNodXNldHRzIiBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZS5pbmZvZ3JhbS5jb20vanMvZGlzdC9lbWJlZC5qcz9yeXoiIHR5cGU9InRleHQvamF2YXNjcmlwdCI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+New data is typically published daily around 5 p.m. and weekly reports are typically released on Thursdays, also around 5 p.m.
BOSTON —
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 3,957 confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 495,599 since the start of the pandemic.
State health officials also added 87 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths to the state’s total, which is now 14,241.
An estimated 72,965 cases are active across Massachusetts, according to the report.
On Friday, the DPH said a technical issue delayed the reporting of almost 24,800 laboratory results — both positive and negative — which would normally have been included in that day’s counts.
The delayed results from Friday were included in Saturday’s report, according to state health officials.
Saturday’s report said 1,739 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized in Massachusetts, of which 393 were reported to be in an intensive care unit.
The last time the number of ICU patients was below 400 was Dec. 19, 2020.
In the state’s weekly report released on Thursday, 192 communities were in the “Red,” or at high risk of COVID-19, down from 222 communities last week.
The state says there have been 389,717 recoveries as of this week.
New data is typically published daily around 5 p.m. and weekly reports are typically released on Thursdays, also around 5 p.m.
A rare but dangerous coronavirus-linked inflammatory syndrome that primarily affects children and teens is behind the death of a 17-year-old from South Carolina, health officials in the Palmetto State announced on Friday.
The teen’s death from multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) marks the first such fatality in the state since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) which noted that 42 cases of MIS-C have been reported in the state to date.
The 17-year-old was from the “Upstate region died from MIS-C on Jan. 27,” officials said. No other details were provided.
“With the number of cases of COVID-19 we’re seeing in our state, we must be prepared for the unfortunate possibility of more children being affected by MIS-C,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC interim public health director, in a statement. “We continue to remind South Carolinians that COVID-19 is spreading in our communities at a high rate and it is vital that we all take the steps we know to protect us all from this deadly disease: wear a mask, stay six feet away from others, wash your hands frequently, and avoid crowds. And when your time comes, get vaccinated.”
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
“These simple actions are how we protect ourselves and others, including our children,” he added.
MIS-C is a condition that often causes different parts of the body to become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vast majority of children with MIS-C recover, though some may require hospitalization. Symptoms of the condition often include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and fatigue.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
Many children who develop MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been exposed to someone with COVID-19. However, the connection between the virus and MIS-C has not yet been identified.
Since May, more than 1,600 cases of MIS-C have been reported across the U.S., according to estimates from the CDC.
Hawaii Department of Health officials today reported 71 new coronavirus infections, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 25,339 cases.
There were no new deaths reported today, but on Monday the Health Department added 60 additional coronavirus-related deaths to the statewide tally that now stands at 401. However, Health Department officials this morning revised the total additional deaths down to 59 after a “data cleaning process.”
Health officials uncovered the additional deaths after a review of the department’s Electronic Death Registration System, Health Director Dr. Libby Char said in a news release. The deaths occurred between August through December. Forty-nine deaths were on Oahu, seven on Hawaii island and three on Maui, according to a Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center spokesperson.
The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll includes 320 fatalities on Oahu, 53 on Hawaii island, 24 on Maui, one on Kauai, and three Hawaii residents who died on the mainland. The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said the Big Island’s COVID-19 death toll remained at 51, but state officials have not verified coronavirus as a factor in six of those fatalities. Hawaii County has reported no coronavirus-related deaths in the past three weeks.
The U.S. coronavirus-related death toll was more than 423,000 today.
Today’s new statewide infection cases reported by the Health Department include 61 on Oahu, eight on Maui, one on the Big Island, and one resident diagnosed outside of Hawaii, officials said. As a result of updated information, seven cses from Oahu were removed from the counts.
The statistics released today reflect the new infection cases reported to the department on Sunday.
The total number of coronavirus cases by island since the start of the outbreak are 20,578 on Oahu, 2,129 in Hawaii County, 1,634 on Maui, 178 on Kauai, 106 on Lanai and 25 on Molokai. There are also 689 Hawaii residents diagnosed outside of the state.
Health officials also said today that of the state’s total infection count, 1,612 cases were considered to be active. Officials say they consider infections reported in the past 14 days to be a “proxy number for active cases.” The number of active cases in the state decreasedby 44 today.
By island, Oahu has 1,200 active cases, Maui has 303, the Big Island has 99, Kauai has 10, according to the state’s latest tally. Lanai and Molokai have no active COVID cases.
Health officials counted 2,346 new COVID-19 test results in today’s tally, for a 3.03% statewide positivity rate. The state’s 7-day average positivity rate is 2.5%, according to the Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard.
Of all the confirmed Hawaii infection cases, 1,669 have required hospitalizations, with five new hospitalizations reported today by state health officials.
Four hospitalizations in the statewide count are Hawaii residents who were diagnosed and treated outside the state. Of the 1,665 hospitalizations within the state, 1,460 have been on Oahu, 98 on Maui, 94 on the Big Island, seven on Kauai, five on Lanai and one on Molokai.
According to the latest information from the department’s Hawaii COVID-19 Data dashboard, a total of 89 patients with the virus were in Hawaii hospitals as of Monday morning, with 21 in intensive care units and 17 on ventilators.
Health officials said that as of Sunday, 70,095 vaccines have been administered of the 154,150 received by the state. The vaccinations by county are Honolulu, 39,886; Maui, 10,195; Hawaii, 7,011; and Kauai, 5,328. The total also included 7,675 administered under the federal pharmacy program. State officials release the updated vaccination numbers each Wednesday.
Oahu moved to the less-restrictive Tier 2 of Honolulu’s four-tier economic recovery plan on Oct. 22. To gauge whether Honolulu will move to a different tier, the city takes a “weekly assessment” of two key COVID-19 numbers each Wednesday. To move to Tier 3 from Tier 2, the 7-day average of new cases must be below 50 on two consecutive Wednesdays. Also, the 7-day average positivity rate must be below 2.5% on those two Wednesdays.
Today’s seven-day average case count for Oahu is 81 and the seven-day average positivity rate is 3.0%, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
Blangiardi said he hoped to stay in Tier 2, a four-tiered framework established by former Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Under Tier 3, social gatherings of up to 10 would be allowed, up from 5 under Tier 2, and retail businesses would be able to operate at full capacity, rather than 50% capacity under Tier 2.
This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.
New Hampshire health officials announced Tuesday there were no new outbreaks of COVID-19 this week at long-term care and other congregate living facilities, and a dozen outbreaks, including one at the state Veterans Home, have closed.The decreasing number of outbreaks follows other trends that show that while COVID-19 is still spreading widely in New Hampshire, the rate of spread is slowing some, with active cases, test positivity and hospitalizations all trending lower.>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMUR”I am very pleased to announce we are closing the New Hampshire Veterans Home outbreak effective Jan. 26,” said Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette. “So, we’re very happy that that’s closed.”Gov. Chris Sununu said the state’s efforts to vaccinate staff members and residents at the facilities may be helping to prevent or shut down outbreaks. “It’s working,” Sununu said. “Yeah, there’s no doubt it’s having some effect.”>> COVID-19 in New Hampshire: Important informationAccording to Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the state’s Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, 18,000 people in long-term care facilities have received the first dose of the vaccine, and about 5,000 have received the second dose. She said the total population of residents and staff members in those facilities is about 33,000, so there is more work to be done to get most of them vaccinated.Health officials said more outbreaks are still likely until the virus is no longer spreading widely in the community. There are still 32 active outbreaks in congregate living facilities in the state.This story will be updated.** Town-by-town COVID-19 case data **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
CONCORD, N.H. —
New Hampshire health officials announced Tuesday there were no new outbreaks of COVID-19 this week at long-term care and other congregate living facilities, and a dozen outbreaks, including one at the state Veterans Home, have closed.
The decreasing number of outbreaks follows other trends that show that while COVID-19 is still spreading widely in New Hampshire, the rate of spread is slowing some, with active cases, test positivity and hospitalizations all trending lower.
>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMUR
“I am very pleased to announce we are closing the New Hampshire Veterans Home outbreak effective Jan. 26,” said Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette. “So, we’re very happy that that’s closed.”
Gov. Chris Sununu said the state’s efforts to vaccinate staff members and residents at the facilities may be helping to prevent or shut down outbreaks.
“It’s working,” Sununu said. “Yeah, there’s no doubt it’s having some effect.”
>> COVID-19 in New Hampshire: Important information
According to Dr. Beth Daly, chief of the state’s Bureau of Infectious Disease Control, 18,000 people in long-term care facilities have received the first dose of the vaccine, and about 5,000 have received the second dose. She said the total population of residents and staff members in those facilities is about 33,000, so there is more work to be done to get most of them vaccinated.
Health officials said more outbreaks are still likely until the virus is no longer spreading widely in the community. There are still 32 active outbreaks in congregate living facilities in the state.
