Data are updated weekly on Thursdays. Most of the tables, charts, and maps in this report are interactive. Tables can be sorted by clicking on column headings. Maps and charts can be sorted, zoomed, selected, etc. using the mouse cursor and data will appear when hovering or clicking the mouse cursor. Controls will appear at the top right corner of charts when the mouse cursor is placed on the chart. The data used to create the charts on this dashboard are also available for download. Case and laboratory data that can be queried is available on IBIS.
Update about COVID-19 Community Levels: With the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11th 2023, the CDC is no longer calculating COVID-19 Community Levels. The associated map visualization has been removed from our dashboard as a result. Visit the CDC’s website for more information about the end of the federal COVID-19 PHE declaration.
Weekly Report Date: November 02, 2023.
Case Counts are a leading indicator of COVID-19 transmission. This is the number of people who test positive and are reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) each day by health care providers and testing sites. The actual number of cases in Utah is higher than what is reported due to mild cases not feeling ill enough to seek care and get tested, more people receiving at-home tests that are not reported to DHHS, and limited testing availability during surges. Because of these limitations, it’s important to consider other measures along with case counts of COVID-19 transmission and severity.
Percent Positivity On March 14th, 2023 Utah implemented changes in its Communicable Disease Rule. This changed the reportability of COVID-19 testing, specifically removing negative reporting for a large portion of tests. Due to this change percent positivity will no longer be updated. Percent positivity data prior to 03/14 will still be available.
Syndromic Surveillance looks at the percent of people going to Emergency Departments (EDs) who have COVID-19 like symptoms. It is a measure of community transmission that is not based on testing. Syndromic Surveillance may lag behind case counts because it takes time for cases to develop symptoms severe enough to require an emergency department visit. For more information about Syndromic Surveillance please see the Trends Tab.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations and Deaths show the most severe outcomes due to COVID-19. These outcomes often happen after a person is first diagnosed with COVID-19, so these metrics lag by days to weeks after case counts. Hospitalizations are either reported automatically if a person is inpatient at the time of a positive lab or identified through local public health investigations. Deaths are reported by clinicians, death certificates, and case investigators. Please see the data notes below for more information how DHHS determines COVID-19 deaths.
Visit wastewatervirus.utah.gov for more information, to see a map, and to explore the data.
| Wastewater Level | Number of Sites | Percent of Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Elevated | 17 | 48.6% |
| Watch | 14 | 40% |
| Low | 3 | 8.6% |
| Below Reporting Limit | 0 | 0% |
| Insufficient Data | 1 | 2.9% |
| Wastewater Trend | Number of Sites | Percent of Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Increasing | 1 | 2.9% |
| Plateau/Indeterminate | 28 | 80% |
| Decreasing | 6 | 17.1% |
| Insufficient Data | 0 | 0% |
Currently, 34 municipal wastewater facilities across Utah are sampled twice per week, covering roughly 88% of the state’s population. Levels of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA are quantified, providing an indicator of the status and trends of COVID-19 infections in the community.
Watch: a viral RNA level of potential concern, but not high enough to be considered elevated.
Below Reporting Limit: RNA levels in the previous three samples were below the laboratory reporting limit; this does not necessarily mean a complete lack of cases shedding the virus.
Insufficient Data: not enough recent data to determine current levels and/or trend at a site.
Cases counts and total case rates by Local Health Department (LHD) are shown below. Utah’s LHDs may also report their own case data. Local reports should be considered the most up to date and accurate information for their local area due to small differences in case classifications at any given time. The “Cumulative Case Rate per 100,000 population by LHD” shows the total number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in an area given its population size since the start of the pandemic.
14-Day Incidence Rate: As of September 21, 2020, the crude rate map by jurisdiction was replaced with a map showing 14-Day Incidence by county. The two-week cumulative incidence rate summarizes new cases reported in the past 14 days per 100,000 people. It looks at the recent burden of cases in an area given its population. Areas with elevated incidence rates will have a higher burden of ill people who may be infectious and/or currently accessing healthcare.
* The number of recovered persons is estimated by the number of cases whose first positive laboratory test was reported at least 21 days ago, excluding deaths.
** Seven-day Average Case Count compares data from October 25, 2023 to November 01, 2023 . Seven-day Average People in the Hospital with COVID-19 compares data from October 25, 2023 to November 01, 2023 . Seven-day Average Cases in ICU compares data from October 25, 2023 to November 01, 2023 . Seven-day Average New Hospital Admissions compares data from October 22, 2023 to October 29, 2023 . Seven-day percent positivity (person/person and test/test) compares data from from October 24, 2023 to October 31, 2023 . NA compares data from NA to NA .
Laboratory: DHHS receives positive and negative test results for healthcare providers, laboratories, and testing sites across the state. At-home tests are generally not reported. Positive test results are reported immediately; negative test results may not be reported for 24-72 hours. Laboratory positives may not match confirmed cases due to ongoing investigations and confirmatory testing. When available, laboratory data is shown by the date a sample was tested. If unavailable, it is shown by the date reported to public health. Laboratory data definitions are as follows:
People Tested: One test per person is included by their earliest positive result, within a 90 day period. If there are no positive tests, their earliest negative result is used. Because this is deduplicated to a 90 day window, people may be counted more than once.
Total Tests: One test per person, per day (by collection date), per test type. For example, if a person was tested with a rapid antigen test and then gets a confirmatory PCR on the same day, both tests will be counted. This was updated on 4/14/21 from the previous definition of one test per person per day, regardless of test type. These definitions allow DHHS to report the total effort in testing statewide, while also not double counting any tests that may be reported more than once to DHHS. The Test/Test percent positivity calculation will continue to use the one test, per person, per day definition described below.
Case Dates: As of April 15, 2020, case data are displayed by both the date the first positive laboratory result (FPLR) is reported to public health and the self-reported symptom onset date. Previously, this was reported by the first day a person was reported (through laboratory results or contact tracing) to public health. The FPLR date will provide a more stable estimate of the new cases reported to public health; however, there will be small differences in cases by date as public health receives additional information. Onset date is taken preferentially from the following dates when available: 1) self-reported date of first symptoms, 2) date diagnosed by a clinician, 3) date first positive specimen was collected, 4) first report to public health. The actual number of cases in Utah is higher than what is reported due to mild cases not feeling ill enough to seek care, clinician judgment for testing, and expanding laboratory capacity.
Death Counts: Deaths reported by DHHS include confirmed and probable cases as defined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) case definition. This includes: 1) confirmed cases with a positive COVID-19 PCR result and no alternative cause of death noted on the death certificate or reported by the Office of the Medical Examiner (OME), 2) probable cases where the death certificate lists COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death and no alternative cause of death reported by the OME, and 3) probable cases with COVID-19 symptoms and close contact to a laboratory confirmed case and no alternative cause of death reported by the OME or the death certificate. Death counts are provisional and subject to change as investigations are completed. For more information on how COVID-19 deaths are registered in the state of Utah, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/covid-19-deaths.
Case Definitions: DHHS assigns case status following the national case definition, with the exception of considering positive antigen tests as probable cases. A confirmed case is any person with a positive SARS-CoV2 PCR or antigen test.
Data for this report were accessed on November 02, 2023 08:39 AM. Population data used for calculating rates are based on 2020 estimates from IBIS. This was upgraded from 2019 estimates on 11/12/2021.