Utah reports 2,068 COVID-19 cases, 22 additional deaths

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Wednesday said 22 more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 and 2,068 residents have tested positive for the virus.

Of those cases, 413 (20%) were in school-aged children.

• 204 cases in children ages 5-10
• 98 cases in children ages 11-13
• 111 cases in children ages 14-18

Currently, 538 Utahns are hospitalized due to the virus and the ICUs at Utah’s 16 referral center hospitals, where the majority of COVID-19 patients are treated, are 96.4% full — above the state’s “functionally full” threshold of 85%.

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The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 1,618 — up from 1,482 on Monday and 1,288 last Monday.

An additional 15,579 vaccine doses have been administered since Tuesday, bringing the state’s total number of vaccine doses given to 3,705,391.

UDOH said over 1.74 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated and over 1.94 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Cent fully approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and all three major vaccines have been approved for booster shots.

And a panel of FDA advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s shots for 5- to 11-year-olds.

FDA panel backs Pfizer’s low-dose COVID-19 vaccine for kids

Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated risk ratios

UDOH said it has updated how the department calculates risk ratios on its data dashboard.

“We are now reporting age-adjusted risk ratios,” UDOH officials said. “This is an important update that more accurately reflects the risk for the overall population. The change will result in higher risk ratios for the unvaccinated for being hospitalized and dying. This is because the prior method, which did not age-adjust, biased the data toward older adults who are more likely to be both vaccinated and hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than younger people. By age-adjusting, we are better reflecting the true risk for all Utahns.”

In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 17.5 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 10.65 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5.3 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

Since Feb. 1, people who are unvaccinated are at 8.9 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 7.4 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5.3 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

Testing

UDOH reports 3,678,498 people have been tested — 10,727 more than Tuesday. Of those, 546,213 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 2,068 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 1,618 — up from 1,482 on Monday and 1,288 last Monday.

On June 1, Utah’s rolling seven-day average had dropped to 200 cases.

The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” rose to 16.9% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests remained at 11%.

Vaccinations

The state has administered 3,705,391 vaccine doses in total as of Wednesday, which is an increase of 15,579 over Tuesday’s numbers.

As of Wednesday, over 1.94 million Utahns had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.74 million Utahns had been fully vaccinated.

Over 4.34 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 538 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 200 of those people are in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 94% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 96.4% full Wednesday — above the state’s utilization threshold or “functionally full” mark of 85%.

Thirty-nine percent of Utah’s ICU usage is due to COVID-19 patients.

“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

As of Wednesday, the virus had killed 3,181 of the state’s residents.

UDOH said nine of the following deaths, which were reported Wednesday, occurred before Oct. 1:

• Female, between 65-84, Weber County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Male, between 65-84, Weber County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 25-44, Washington County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Cache County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Male, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Tooele County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Cache County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 25-44, Washington County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Box Elder County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 45-64, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, older than 85, Box Elder County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Emery County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Washington County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 45-64, Weber County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 65-84, Sanpete County resident, 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:

• Get vaccinated
• 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 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).