New COVID-19 Hospitalization Record Set In Utah

FARMINGTON, Utah — As the number of COVID cases continue to surge in Utah, health officials reported a new hospitalization record: 254 patients.

The Utah Department of Health also reported 1,200 new cases and seven new deaths Sunday.

KSL spoke with one patient who said she almost died from the virus.

“It feels like you can’t get enough air, and my lungs were burning,” said Cass Ho. “They were on fire.”

Cass explained what it felt like to have COVID-19.

She said before she went to the hospital, she had every symptom in the book.

“I knew that I was in trouble,” she said. “When I got to the hospital, from that point on, I remember them telling me that they needed to find a room for me and I was in bad shape.”

Cass, who’s 68 years old and has asthma, is in a high-risk category.

She was put on a ventilator for five days and was in the hospital for two weeks.

“I had to wait for three days before I got an ICU bed, and that was back in May,” said Cass. “So know that these poor people, these poor health care workers are being taxed to death, trying to keep all the rest of us alive.”

State health officials said that’s the biggest issue.

In September, Utah reported half the number of hospitalizations.

Staffing is a huge concern, and state leaders say Utah just doesn’t have the resources to properly care for patients if we continue on this path.

“I am stupefied. I am horrified. I don’t understand why people are not understanding that this pandemic is going to keep going on. It is not going to go away,” said Cass.

Four months later, Cass feels like she’s barely recovered.

Her hospital bills are another story — $126,000, so far, for her two-week stay.

Cass said she hopes sharing her experience with others will help them understand.

“You just need to be careful and safe and we can get on top of this if we all just do what we’re supposed to be doing,” she said.

About 67% of the state’s ICU beds were being occupied as of Sunday.