Utah Records 30 Deaths From COVID-19, A New Single Day High

Utah state health officials reported 30 new deaths from the coronavirus Thursday, a new single day high that follows a monthlong surge in cases. The tally eclipsed the previous high of 21 deaths reported Nov. 24, state figures show. A total of 1,126 people have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Most of the new deaths were people 65 and over, state health officials said. The spike in deaths comes as daily case counts declined to a new seven-day average of nearly 2,600, down from about 3,300 in late November. The state also started the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine this week.