CORONAVIRUS

Utah reports 261 COVID cases, 11 additional deaths

Mar 4, 2022, 1:22 PM | Updated: 1:32 pm

Healthcare workers care for a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray...

Healthcare workers care for a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. (Intermountain Heathcare)

(Intermountain Heathcare)

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Friday said 11 more Utahns have lost their lives due to COVID-19 while 261 residents have tested positive for the virus since yesterday.

UDOH said one of those deaths occurred before Feb. 4.

Of those 261 cases, 35 (13.41%) were in school-aged children:

  • 17 cases in children ages 5-10
  • 7 cases in children ages 11-13
  • 11 cases in children ages 14-17

Currently, 287 Utahns are in the hospital with confirmed cases of COVID-19 — a drop from Thursday’s count of 299 and the state’s lowest count since July 18 (281).

Hospitalizations

Of the 287 people currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 66 of those people are in intensive care units.

Utah’s ICUs were 75.6% full Friday and the ICU beds in Utah’s 16 referral centers, where the majority of COVID-19 patients are treated, were 79.8% full — back above the state’s utilization warning mark of 77%.

(UDOH)

Twelve 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.”

Vaccinations

As of Friday, 4,956,776 vaccine doses have been given in Utah — an increase of 2,477 since yesterday.

Over 1.98 million Utahns are now fully vaccinated, over 2.24 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 867,000 have received a booster dose.

Over 5.94 million vaccine doses have been delivered to the Beehive State.

The eligible population for vaccinations has changed with the expansion of vaccines to the 5- to 11-year-old age group. The state’s dashboard now includes a breakout of vaccines administered for that age group and booster dose administrations.

(UDOH) (UDOH) (UDOH)

Data includes the total number of people who have received a booster dose, a breakdown by age (over 65 and under 65), and data on the type of booster dose people have received.

Children ages 5-11 are 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 available across the stateModerna’s vaccine has also received full U.S. approval.

All Utahns age 18 and older, who received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine more than five months ago, or a Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago, are also eligible for a booster shot.

Three studies released by the CDC offer more evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are standing up to the omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots.

Booster shots needed against omicron, CDC studies show

Teens ages 12 to 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.

Vaccinated and booster vs. unvaccinated risk ratios

In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 16.3 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 6 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 2.1 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than boosted people.

In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 5.1 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 2.4 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 1.9 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.

(UDOH)

Testing

UDOH reports 4,944,635 people have been tested — 3,258 more since yesterday. Of those, 924,248 Utahns have tested positive for COVID-19 — an increase of 396 new cases.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 337 — down from 438 on Monday and 1,466 the previous Monday.

(UDOH)

The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “people over people” dropped to 11.9% while the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of “tests over tests” dropped to 7.3%.

Deaths

The virus has killed 4,453 of the state’s residents. UDOH said one of the following deaths, which were reported Friday, occurred before Feb. 4:

  • Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County, hospitalized at time of death
  • Female, between 65-84, Cache County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
  • Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
  • Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
  • Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
  • Male, between 65-84, Davis County resident, hospitalized at time of death
  • Female, between 65-84, DavisCounty resident, hospitalized at time of death
  • Male, older than 85, Weber County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
  • Male, older than 85, Uintah County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
  • Male, older than 85, Washington County resident, hospitalized at time of death
  • Male, between 45-64, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident

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:

  • Get vaccinated and a booster dose if it has been more than five 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 face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).

People, including children older than 2, should wear a mask in indoor public places if they are:

  • Not fully vaccinated
  • Fully vaccinated and in an area with substantial or high transmission
  • Fully vaccinated and with weakened immune systems
  • In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.

Updated isolation guidelines can be found here.

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Utah reports 261 COVID cases, 11 additional deaths