The Utah Department of Health announced 1,242 new COVID-19 cases Thursday.
Summit County reported 24 new cases, In comparison, last Thursday, Summit saw 27.
Wasatch County reported 7 new cases. Last Thursday, the county saw 10.
In a COVID-19 briefing Thursday, State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn said the CDC has released new suggestions on which masks are the most effective.
"So when it comes to fit of your mask, you want to make sure that it's snug around your face, that there's not escape of air when you breathe out because that's how droplets can escape and infect somebody else," Dunn said. "When it comes to quality, we want to make sure that the mask has multiple layers."
The new COVID-19 variants in the state are more transmissible, and she said social distancing and masks that properly fit will prevent 95% of droplets transmission from spreading.
She also said the 7-day rolling average of positive cases is just down from last week, from more than 1,250 to just under 1,050 per day.
There were 8,807 people tested for COVID-19 for the first time, with 24,218 total tests administered.
The statewide 7-day rolling average of percent positivity for “people over people” is around 15%. Less than 7% of “tests over tests” are positive on average. These new measures account for people who have repeatedly taken tests after getting a positive or negative result.
Utah’s Department of Health reported nine new deaths. To date, 1,774 Utahns have died due to COVID-19, including eight from Summit County and 18 from Wasatch County.
Utah’s Department of Health reported 47 new hospitalizations. There are 327 people in the hospital for COVID-19, in the state. Statewide, almost 88% of referral center ICU beds are in use.
A reported, 20,244 people were vaccinated for COVID-19 since Wednesday, bringing the total number to 462,720 doses administered. Both Summit and Wasatch Counties are registering to vaccinate residents 70-years or older.
