Utah reports 2,669 COVID-19 cases since Friday, 21 deaths
Dec 13, 2021, 12:47 PM | Updated: 1:24 pm
FILE: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 08: Grace Thomson receives the coronavirus vaccine from Paula McMahon at the Louisa Jordan Hospital as the roll out begins on December 8, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. A batch of 65,000 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine arrived in the country at the weekend, it will be offered to all those over the age of eighteen a total of about 4.4 million people in Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell - Pool /Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell - Pool /Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Monday said 21 more Utahns have died due to COVID-19 and 2,669 residents have tested positive for the virus since Friday.
Of those cases, 401 were in school-aged children:
- 199 cases in children ages 5-10
- 93 cases in children ages 11-13
- 109 cases in children ages 14-18
Currently, 503 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, were at 99.1% occupancy Monday.
Utah’s ICUs have been above the functionally full mark since Aug. 23.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 1,136.
An additional 17,423 vaccine doses have been administered since Friday, bringing the state’s total number of vaccine doses given to 4,328,094.
Children ages 5-11 are now eligible to receive a smaller dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has been fully approved by the FDA and CDC, and appointments are now available across the state.
All Utahns age 18 and older, who received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine more than six months ago, or a Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago, are also eligible for a booster shot.
Teens age 16 and 17 are also eligible for a Pfizer booster dose.
The FDA and CDC have approved booster doses for Americans and urged those age 50 and older to seek one.
Coronavirus Resources
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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 and a booster dose if it has been more than six months (Pfizer/Moderna) since your second dose or two months (J&J) since your first
- 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).
