Utah Reports 2 Additional Deaths & 668 New COVID-19 Cases

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported two more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 while another 668 residents have tested positive for the virus.

According to UDOH, 12 counties in Utah have moved back to the “high” transmission level for the first time since March.

“This is being driven largely by increasing ICU utilization throughout the state,” officials said. “Too many people are ending up in the hospital, not just from COVID, but from injuries and other illnesses. Our hospitals, and our health care workers, need some relief.”

Visit https://t.co/VkxwubgVQH for more information about the vaccine and to find out where you can be vaccinated. 5/5

— Utah Dept. of Health (@UtahDepOfHealth) July 8, 2021

State health officials said less than 60% of the adult population in 11 of those 12 counties has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Gov. Spencer Cox, 70% of Utahns age 18+ had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of July 4.

UDOH said the state’s dashboard has been updated to include information on breakthrough cases — people who have gotten sick 14 days or more after being fully vaccinated.

“While no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people, Utah data shows the vaccines have been remarkably effective in protecting vaccinated Utahns from COVID-19,” UDOH officials said. “The data also indicates the vast majority of new cases are in unvaccinated people which is driving the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

“The increase in cases serves as a reminder that we aren’t out of the woods yet, and it remains critical for Utahns to get vaccinated, limit your contact with others who are not part of your usual circle, wear a mask when you can’t physical distance, stay home if you’re sick and wash your hands often.”

UDOH determines vaccine status for cases using two methods — linking all known cases to vaccination records reported into the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System and through self-report by asking all cases if they have been fully vaccinated. Breakthrough cases may be overrepresented in the data due to this self-reporting.

This information can be found on the “Risk Factors” tab of the state’s coronavirus website.

Currently, 230 Utahns are hospitalized due to the virus — down 30 from Wednesday — and an additional 5,606 vaccine doses have been administered, bringing the state’s total to 2,890,094. However, the number of hospitalizations requiring intensive care rose to 92, and ICUs in the state’s referral center hospitals were 81.5% full Thursday.

Cox said hospitalizations due to COVID-19 haven’t been this high since mid-February, and only 130 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on May 31.

UDOH said over 1.42 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated and over 1.59 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

For more information, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.

Testing

UDOH reports 2,821,170 people have been tested — 4,722 more than Wednesday. Of those, 418,321 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 668 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 379 — up from 361 on Wednesday, which likely reflected a drop in testing over the holiday weekend. On June 1, Utah’s rolling seven-day average was 200 cases.

The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” rose to 11.9% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” rose to 8%.

Vaccinations

The state has administered 2,895,700 vaccine doses in total, which is an increase of 5,606 over Wednesday’s numbers.

As of Thursday, over 1.59 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.42 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.

Over 3.27 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 230 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 92 of those people were in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 78.7% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 81.5% full Thursday — above the state’s utilization warning threshold of 77% and approaching the utilization threshold of 85%.

“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,” UDOH officials said. “Seventy-two percent use among all hospitals and 77% in referral center hospitals creates major strains on the health care system. When 85% capacity is reached, Utah will be functionally out of staffed ICU beds, indicating an overwhelmed hospital system.”

Deaths

To date, the virus has killed 2,389 of the state’s residents. The following two deaths were reported Thursday, and UDOH said one occurred before June 1:

• Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death

Nationwide Numbers

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Coronavirus Resources

Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL wants to hear from you. Contact KSL by emailing social@ksl.com.

Click here to sign up for a vaccine and here to see how Utah’s vaccine rollout is progressing.

The latest COVID-19 stories from KSL can be found here.

How do I prevent it?

The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:

• Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

The CDC recommends unvaccinated Americans should continue wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).