Utah reports 1,859 COVID-19 cases, 9 additional deaths

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Thursday said nine more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 and 1,859 residents have tested positive for the virus.

Of those cases, 370 (19.9%) were in school-aged children.

• 179 cases in children ages 5-10
• 93 cases in children ages 11-13
• 98 cases in children ages 14-18

Currently, 536 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 95.5% full — above the state’s “functionally full” threshold of 85%.

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The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 1,547 — up from 1,482 on Monday and 1,288 last Monday.

An additional 13,025 vaccine doses have been administered since Wednesday, bringing the state’s total number of vaccine doses given to 3,718,416.

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 18.7 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 10.9 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5.2 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

Since Feb. 1, people who are unvaccinated are at 9.1 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 3,688,462 people have been tested — 9,964 more than Wednesday. Of those, 548,072 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 1,859 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 1,547 — 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 17% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests remained at 11%.

Vaccinations

The state has administered 3,718,416 vaccine doses in total as of Thursday, which is an increase of 13,025 over Wednesday’s numbers.

As of Thursday, 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 4.39 million vaccines have been delivered to Utah.

Hospitalizations

Currently, 536 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 202 of those people are in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 93.7% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 95.5% full Thursday — 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 Thursday, the virus had killed 3,190 of the state’s residents.

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

• Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
• Female, between 65-84, Washington County resident, hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 15-24, Iron County resident, not hospitalized at time of death (not a minor)
• Male, between 45-64, Weber County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 45-64, Washington County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
• Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Weber County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
• Male, between 65-84, Cache 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).