Utah Reports 1,243 COVID-19 Cases, 3 Additional Deaths; UDOH Adds Vaccinated Vs. Unvaccinated Risk Ratio To Dashboard
Aug 12, 2021, 1:23 PM
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Thursday said three more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 and 1,243 residents have tested positive for the virus.
Currently, 388 Utahns are hospitalized due to the virus and the ICUs at Utah’s 16 referral center hospitals were 83.9% full — just below the state’s “functionally full” threshold of 85%.
The state’s seven-day rolling average of positive tests was 843 on Thursday — up from 812 on Wednesday — and 17 counties are listed in the high transmission level, including Davis, Weber, Salt Lake, Utah and Washington counties.
An additional 10,622 vaccine doses have been administered since Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 3,107,938.
UDOH said over 1.51 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated and over 1.72 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Vaccinated Vs. Unvaccinated Risk Ratios
On Thursday, UDOH added data on risk ratios among the vaccinated and the unvaccinated for testing positive, becoming hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19 to the public data dashboard.
That data can be found by clicking on the “Risk Factors” tab at coronavirus.utah.gov.
In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 7.6 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6.9 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 5 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.
Since Feb. 1, people who are unvaccinated are at 10.7 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6.2 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 5.9 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.
Of the 1,478,369 Utahns who have been fully vaccinated, 6,472 (0.43778%) have tested positive for COVID-19, 393 have been hospitalized (0.02658%) and 22 have died (0.00149%).
As of Thursday, 2,521 Utahns had died due to COVID-19.
“The UDOH determines vaccine status for cases using two methods — by linking all known cases to vaccination records reported into the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIIS) and through self-report by asking all cases if they have been fully vaccinated,” UDOH officials said. “Breakthrough cases may be overrepresented in the data due to this self-reporting.”
Testing
UDOH reports 2,996,050 people have been tested — 8,305 more than Wednesday. Of those, 443,488 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 1,243 new cases.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 843 — up from 812 on Wednesday and 827 on Monday.
On June 1, Utah’s rolling seven-day average was 200 cases.
The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” dipped slightly to 13.5% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” dipped to 9.7%.
Vaccinations
The state has administered 3,107,938 vaccine doses in total, which is an increase of 10,622 over Wednesday’s numbers.
As of Wednesday, over 1.72 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.51 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.
Over 3.46 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.
Hospitalizations
Currently, 388 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 151 of those people were in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 81.1% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 83.9% full Thursday — just below the state’s utilization threshold or “functionally full” mark 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 2,521 of the state’s residents. The following deaths were reported Thursday:
- Female, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
Nationwide Numbers
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).