Swell in new COVID-19 cases threatens hospital surge

SALT LAKE CITY — The sheer number of new COVID-19 cases is a serious concern for hospitals across the state, even if the omicron variant is a milder strain than Delta. With transmission rates at levels Utah has not seen in a year, the surge in cases will send more people to Utah’s hospitals, and their staffing is suffering right now.

This afternoon, the state epidemiologist urged everybody to take precautions to slow the spread of omicron. Statewide, 495 people were hospitalized as of Wednesday night, and state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said that number will rise.

“Our hospitals have been overwhelmed for four months. So, to add on top of that is really, really a disaster,” she said.

Nolen is not surprised by this surge because case numbers have been rising dramatically since Christmas.

“When we look at other countries, and other states, we know we’re in the midst of this and I expect it’s going to increase for a while longer,” Nolen said. “So, unfortunately today’s numbers were not a surprise.”

But, she is concerned. While omicron, so far, proves to be less severe than delta, COVID-19 continues to strain our hospitals.

“Even with a milder disease, if you have a very large portion of the population infected, we’re going to still have a lot of hospitalizations,” said Nolen.

While omicron may be milder for those who are fully vaccinated and boosted, Nolen said, “For others, there’s still a significant concern that they could get sick, and the hospitals might not be able to take care of everyone.”

She said vaccinations and boosters have been shown to reduce cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. As of Wednesday, only 35% of Utah’s adult population has received a booster.

The Utah Hospital Association said a couple of the monoclonal antibody treatments do not work well against this variant, and they are in short supply. So they are not a tool to rely upon when people get sick.

Representatives from Utah’s public health and hospital systems will talk about the critical impact of the omicron surge on Thursday.

Caregivers are sick too, which means hospitals are understaffed and cannot care for as many patients.