MURRAY, Utah — The latest update from health officials showed the COVID-19 pandemic was still headed in the wrong direction as new cases and hospitalizations climbed in Utah and across the country.  

Doctors at Intermountain Healthcare said Monday that the Delta variant was driving the surge, mainly among people who were not vaccinated. 

As of Monday, 348 people were hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19.

Hospitals admitted another 52 people over the holiday weekend. Those are numbers Utah doctors and nurses have not seen since February. 

With a rise in new cases, the risk of catching the virus and being hospitalized remains high for those who are not vaccinated.  

According to the Utah Department of Health, nearly all new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among those who have chosen to not get vaccinated.  

Since January 16th, 98.5% of the people who have died from COVID-19 were not vaccinated. 

In a statement, the health department pointed out, “we have the tool to end the disruption and inconveniences of COVID-19 on our lives and the economy – vaccination.” 

Dr. Taki May, medical director of Logan Regional Hospital, said the patients they are seeing now are a lot younger than the patients they saw during the winter surge. 

“Right now, we have high volumes of patients in the hospital and we’re really nervous about our COVID numbers rising because we remember what it was like when it was really bad, and I fear that we are heading there again,” May said in a press briefing Monday afternoon. 

The CDC still hasn’t recommended masks for fully vaccinated individuals, but federal health officials are considering changes.

The Utah legislature made it highly unlikely that masks would be required in the Beehive State. 

Doctors reiterated that getting vaccinated is the best plan to avoid the virus.

More than 20,000 Utahns have been vaccinated since Thursday.

Health officials hoped to see an uptick in that number. 

More information on how and where to get a vaccine in Utah can be found here.