COVID-19 Surveillance
This report is updated daily at approximately 1:00 p.m. Information on COVID-19 cases changes rapidly, and this report may not reflect updates made after 1:00 p.m. by local health departments or health care systems. 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. For response goals and operating metrics, please visit the Unified Response Scoreboard. The data used to create the charts on this dashboard are also available for download.
Report Date: November 02, 2020
117,706
Total COVID-19 Cases
1,097,593
Total People Tested
1,501,304
Total Tests Reported
5,576
Total COVID-19 Hospitalizations
614
Total COVID-19 Deaths
The below map shows the crude case rate per 100,000 people per Utah Small Area. Crude case rates show the number of COVID-19 cases in an area given its population. Case rates may be higher or lower depending on the age of people living in a small area and how much testing has occurred there. Small areas with low populations may have disproportionately high or low rates depending on few cases and the number of tests performed in an area. A high rate in an area does not necessarily indicate a current outbreak because rates are calculated from the beginning of the pandemic. “Utah Small Areas” are geographic areas with population sizes ranging from about 8,000 to 86,000. Small areas were created by UDOH and local health departments to assess health data and policies. More information on Utah Small Areas can be found at: ibis.health.utah.gov.
Note: Case counts by small area will not sum to the total statewide count due to missing address information for some cases.
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.
Laboratory: The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is currently reporting PCR and antigen test results and will begin reporting serology results in the coming weeks. Positive test results are reported immediately; negative test results may not be reported for 24-72 hours. Results prior to March 19, 2020 may be under-reported. 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 are shown as both the total number of people tested, and as total number of tests performed. For the total number of people tested, one test per person is included by their earliest positive result. If there are no positive tests, their earliest negative result is used.
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. For more information on how COVID-19 deaths are registered in the state of Utah, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/COVID-19-deaths.
Death Counts: Deaths reported by UDOH 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.
Test Types
PCR Tests: COVID-19 PCR tests detect viral genetic material and are used to diagnose active infections.
Antigen Tests: COVID-19 antigen tests are rapid diagnostic tests that detect specific fragments of the virus. Like PCR tests, they are very specific to the SARS-CoV2 virus and detect active infections. Antigen tests can often be performed at point-of-care facilities. While all test results must be reported, as of July 10, 2020 some facilities had not yet fully implemented reporting for all negative antigen tests.
Antibody Tests: COVID-19 antibody tests, also called serological tests, detect the presence of antibodies to the virus in blood samples. They are typically used to identify people with prior infections. There is a lag between infection and antibody production by the immune system, so antibody tests usually cannot be used to detect active infections.
Case Definitions: UDOH assigns case status following the national case definition, with the exception of considering antigen positive tests as evidence of a confirmed case. A confirmed case is any person with a positive SARS-CoV2 PCR or antigen test.
Data for this report were accessed on November 02, 2020 08:41 AM.
Data on pre-existing conditions are gathered from a variety of sources, including case interviews and medical records (when available). Case interviews are conducted by public health investigators across state and local health departments to determine what potential medical risk factors cases may have had prior to developing COVID-19. Data gathered through interviews is self-reported by cases and is dependent on their willingness to share this information with health departments. This is not a complete list of conditions and rates may change as we collect more data and performs additional analysis.
Data collection forms used by the Utah Department of Health and Utah’s Local Health Departments have been updated to collect information on additional pre-existing conditions: autoimmune conditions, disabilities, hypertension, severe/morbid obesity, psychological/psychiatric conditions, and substance abuse. The previous neurologic pre-existing condition has been moved into the broader disability condition, which includes neurological, neurodevelopmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities. Additionally, investigators are now able to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All analyses of these new conditions are based on the subset of cases that use the new forms. These forms no longer collect information on specific conditions from cases without that condition or where the status is unknown; this information remains available for the overall ‘Any Pre-Existing Condition’ question.
Examples of persons with compromised immune systems include those with cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system. Chronic pulmonary conditions include uncontrolled asthma, emphysema, and COPD. Examples of persons with a disability include those with dementia, seizure disorders, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. Psychological/psychiatric conditions include schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
In the data below, counts below 5 are suppressed to protect privacy. Suppressed values in the chart are represented by the percent equivalent to a count of 5 in that category.
The charts below show if the public health investigator has determined a case to have potentially acquired COVID-19 through known contact to another confirmed case, or through “Community Spread”, where a single source of infection cannot be identified. In this analysis, “Known Contact” represents any case with a known contact to a confirmed case in the 14 days before experiencing symptoms through contact tracing, self-report, or outbreak identification. “Community” is any case with a completed investigation, but no indication of a known contact. “Unknown/ Pending” are cases who either could not be contacted for an interview, would not provide contact information, are recently reported and not yet interviewed, or where incomplete information has been entered by the investigator. Data will be updated weekly on Wednesday for the past calendar week and may backfill significantly as investigations are completed and outbreaks are identified.
Potential exposures are identified through case investigations and are not mutually exclusive. “Household” exposures are defined as any case identified through contact tracing of household contacts, or who self-reports a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the household. “Social” exposures are defined as any case identified through contract tracing of social contacts (like church, group gathering, dating, friends, and coworkers outside of the worksite) or who self-report known social contact with a confirmed case. “Workplace” exposures are defined as any case who reports known contact to a confirmed case in the workplace, or is part of an identified worksite outbreak (two or more cases associated with a worksite within 14 days). Finally, Travel exposures are any case who reports known contact to a confirmed case while traveling outside of the state of Utah, or with known contact to a confirmed case through CDC contact tracing of flights. Often, cases have multiple exposures in the categories or, in some instances, no exposures in these categories.
The Utah Department of Health collects information on mask compliance in two ways. The first is an informal visual survey where state employees observe and record mask compliance in public spaces. The second is through a formal survey through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) where Utah residents are asked to rank how often they wear a mask in public or when unable to socially distance. The response options are always, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never. Each of these methods are described below.
Visual survey data for mask wearing practice are generated using convenience sampling collected by volunteers and reported using smart-devices. Most observations are at inside locations open to the public (such as stores). Data are highly influenced by the nature of the location that is surveyed. The data are limited by the collection methodology for consistency and quality. However, the volume of the data is sufficient to make it useful for assessing general mask wearing trends.
The BRFSS is a random-digit dial telephone survey of adults aged 18 and older. In 2020, about 25% of completed interviews came from landline phones and 75% from cellular phones in Utah. In order to have timely estimates, the data are downloaded weekly from the system and are not adjusted to reflect unequal sampling or population characteristics. However, sampling is done proportionally to population and the broad coverage of telephones makes this data sufficient for state and local estimates.
These data reflect any individual who reports being an employee in the healthcare setting in any capacity such as cooks, environmental services, administrative roles, support staff, physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, home health and personal care aids, etc. Healthcare workers also include those who commonly have patient interactions such as dentists, physical therapists, EMTS, firefighters, phlebotomists, and other technical occupations. These data are not intended to represent the amount of transmission occurring within the healthcare setting. Rather, the data can help us have a better understand the burdenour healthcare systems due to employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Through a partnership with the Utah Hospital Association, hospitals in Utah self-report the number of COVID-19 cases currently in their facilities each day. The data below provide a snapshot of the number of people with COVID-19 who are currently hospitalized. If a report from a facility is not received in a given day, the report from the previous day will be used. Total bed and ventilator usage percentages are based on conventional capacity, not surge capacity. Due to differences in reporting systems, these numbers should not be compared with the cumulative hospitalization data identified through public health investigations.
Note about ICU Utilization: The UDOH receives reports about the total number of available ICU beds in the state. However, this reporting does not reflect the number of staffed beds able to care for patients. At about 69% overall ICU utilization, ICUs in Utah’s major hospitals with the ability to provide best care for COVID-19 patients begin to reach staffing capacity. Seventy-two percent use creates major strains on the healthcare system. When 85% capacity is reached, Utah will be functionally out of staffed ICU beds, indicating an overwhelmed hospital system. Please see the Unified Response Scoreboard to see these measures with thresholds over the past calendar week.
| COVID-19 Hospital Survey Data | |
|---|---|
| Number of patients currently hospitalized for confirmed COVID-19 | 348 |
| Number of patients in ICU for confirmed COVID-19 | 138 |
| Patients currently hospitalized as COVID-19 persons under investigation | 18 |
| Percent of all non-ICU Bed Occupied | 50.4% |
| Percent of all ICU Bed Occupied | 71.6% |
| Ventilators Used / Total Ventilators | 222 / 1284 |
| Facilities using prior day data | 31 / 49 |
Hospitalizations included below represent the total number of cases that have been admitted to hospitals. This count does not represent the number of COVID-19 cases currently in the hospital. Hospitalization data is collected from patient interviews and medical chart abstractions by local health departments (LHDs). While UDOH and LHDs capture most hospitalizations through provider reporting, some patients may be hospitalized after the case was investigated by an LHD and therefore not included in this count. Hospitalizations by age may not sum to total hospitalizations because some cases are initially reported without complete age data. Due to differences in reporting systems, these numbers should not be compared with the daily hospitalization data collected through hospital reporting.
The below table presents a variety of summary statistics about hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 in Utah. The pre-existing conditions included are those on the “Risk Factors” tab (cardiovascular, chronic pulmonary, diabetes, immunocompromised, chronic kidney, chronic liver, neurological, current smoking, former smoking, and other).
High Risk: at least 65 years of age and/or having at least one pre-existing condition.
| Hospitalization | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 5576 | 5% |
| No | 106167 | 95% |
| Under Investigation | 5963 | — |
| ICU | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1147 | 1% |
| No | 108941 | 99% |
| Under Investigation | 7618 | — |
| Intubated/Ventilator Use | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 443 | 1.2% |
| No | 35002 | 98.8% |
| Under Investigation | 82261 | — |
One way to look at how quickly COVID-19 is spreading in Utah is the number of new hospital admissions every day. Hospitalizations are less dependent on testing than case counts. Admission dates are obtained through public health investigations and not all new hospitalization dates are reported if a case had previously been investigated by public health. The plot below shows the number of laboratory confirmed cases reported by admission date (blue bars).
The below table presents a variety of summary statistics about deaths associated with COVID-19 in Utah. The pre-existing conditions included are those on the “Risk Factors” tab (cardiovascular, chronic pulmonary, diabetes, immunocompromised, chronic kidney, chronic liver, neurological, current smoking, former smoking, and other).
High Risk: at least 65 years of age and/or having at least one pre-existing condition.
The table below shows the number of people tested for SARS-CoV2 and the percent positivity by race/ethnicity group. While positive tests are reported quickly, the full electronic lab report used in the below analysis can take several days to be reported. Similarly, reporting of negative tests may have a lag of several days. The most recent four days (including the current day) have been excluded from the lab test data used below to help account for this lag. As with other analyses of lab data, laboratory positives may not match confirmed cases due to reporting delays, ongoing investigations, and confirmatory testing.
Data on pre-existing conditions are gathered from a variety of sources, including case interviews and medical records (when available). Case interviews are conducted by many public health investigators across state and local health departments to determine what potential medical risk factors cases may have had prior to developing COVID-19. Data gathered through interviews is self-reported by cases and is dependent on willingness to share this information with health departments. This is not a complete list of conditions and rates may change as public health collects more data and performs additional analysis.
Data collection forms used by UDOH and Utah’s Local Health Departments have been updated to collect information on additional pre-existing conditions: autoimmune conditions, disabilities, hypertension, severe/morbid obesity, psychological/psychiatric conditions, and substance abuse. The previous neurologic pre-existing condition has been moved into the broader disability condition, which includes neurological, neurodevelopmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities. Additionally, investigators are now able to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All analyses of these new conditions are based on the subset of cases that use the new forms. These forms no longer collect information on specific conditions from cases without that condition or where the status is unknown; this information remains available for the overall ‘Any Pre-Existing Condition’ question.
Examples of persons with compromised immune systems include those with cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system. Chronic pulmonary conditions include uncontrolled asthma, emphysema, and COPD. Examples of persons with a disability include those with dementia, seizure disorders, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. Psychological/psychiatric conditions include schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
Demographic Data: There will be small count differences in data presented by age groups, self-reported sex, and hospitalization status. This is because some cases are not initially reported with all of these data elements and unknowns are excluded from this report. Case data will be updated as local health departments (LHDs) and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) complete investigations.
Race & Ethnicity: Race and ethnicity groups follow US Census estimates for race alone or in combination in order to provide a broad snapshot of Utah’s growing diversity, including the many multi-racial and multi-ethnic individuals who call Utah home. Groups are not mutually exclusive and will not sum to total.
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 current epidemic curve looks at how the trend in cases is changing over time and assigns a trend category to each day, based on whether the three-day daily average of cases is increasing, staying stable, or decreasing. It is calculated by using the daily case incidence rate per 100,000 people (bars), finding the three-day moving average of daily incidence rates (grey points), fitting a smoothed curve to these incidence rates (grey line), and looking at the slope of that curve (colors on the bars). If the slope of the curve is above 0, incidence is increasing. If the slope is about zero, incidence is holding stable (a plateau). If the slope is decreasing after at least five days of plateau, incidence is decreasing.
Please note: Recent increases or decreases in testing can lead to changes in daily incidence. Epidemic curve status can fluctuate from day to day so trends need to be interpreted cautiously and in conjunction with other surveillance data.
The chart below shows how many people are going to emergency rooms and outpatient clinics with COVID-19 symptoms. These cases are calculated by taking the percentage of people with these symptoms or a diagnosis of COVID-19 (CDC case definition) compared to all other emergency room or outpatient clinic visits. Syndromic surveillance can show increases more quickly than lab testing so an increase in this measure might indicate growing COVID-19 illness. The data in this system are also affected by recent changes in health care seeking behavior, including increasing use of telemedicine and social distancing. These changes affect the numbers of people and their reasons for seeking care, so trends need to be interpreted with other surveillance data.
CLI: COVID-19-Like Illness. CLI is defined as anyone with fever and cough or shortness of breath, or a patient with a COVID-19 discharge diagnosis code.
The number and demographic information of different types of outbreak locations are below. Two or more cases associated with a setting outside of the household within 14 days is considered an outbreak. Outbreaks are identified after investigating cases with possible links to a certain setting. This means that outbreak case counts may not match exposure data found in the “Types of Known Exposure” in the Risk Factors tab, which is identified at the time of patient interview. For example, as of 6/11/20, 40% of worksite associated outbreak cases with known contact to a confirmed case also had confirmed COVID-19 exposure in the household. This highlights the difficulty of identifying which exposure infected a person if they have had multiple exposures, and how COVID-19 can spread from the workplace to the home and vice-versa.
The below table shows outbreaks that are not associated with long term care facilities. Outbreak data are preliminary and may change as public health completes investigations or updates analyses. Outbreaks in the “Group Living” category are those in facilities that provide living and services that are not nursing homes or long-term care facilities, including homeless shelters and addiction treatment centers. Outbreaks in the “Detention Facility” category include those in prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities. Outbreaks in the “Other Setting” category include those in apartment buildings, cruise ships, groups that traveled together, etc.
School-associated cases are defined as confirmed cases who have attended, worked in, or visited a K-12 school in-person for more than 15 minutes while symptomatic or within 14 days of their symptom onset. This definition captures cases who were at a school during their exposure period and were potentially exposed at the school. It does not necessarily mean the individual contracted COVID-19 from being exposed to the virus while at school. School-associated cases are identified through interviews with cases by the Local Health Departments. In the data below, counts below 5 are suppressed to protect privacy.
Active Cases: cases reported to public health in the previous two weeks.
Total Cases: all school-associated cases reported in the 2020-2021 school year.
*Note: totals presented in the cumulative count table may not equal the totals presented in the school district table as cases can be associated with more than one school district, and school districts with less than 5 cases have their count suppressed to protect privacy.
**Other/unknown: cases in this category include school volunteers, non-teaching staff, and cases that are school-associated but did not specify their role at the school.
Note that the data below includes all cases in the specified age groups, not solely those that are school associated.