SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Health announced Wednesday that 14 more Utahners have died from COVID-19 and 2,152 residents have tested positive for the virus.
Of these cases, 429 (19.93%) were school-age children.
- 203 cases in children aged 5-10 years
- 117 cases in children aged 11-13 years
- 109 cases in children aged 14-18 years
There are currently 554 Utahns hospitalized for the virus, and the intensive care units in Utah’s 16 hospitals that treat the majority of COVID-19 patients are 95.9% occupied – above the “functionally full” threshold of the state of 85%.
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The 7-day rolling average for positive tests was 1,469, up from 1,506 on Monday and 1,482 last Monday.
An additional 12,366 vaccine doses have been administered as of yesterday, bringing the total number of vaccine doses administered by the state to 3,783,453.
UDOH said over 1.75 million Utahners are now fully vaccinated and over 1.95 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Children ages 5-11 are now eligible for a smaller dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has been fully approved by the FDA and CDC.
UDOH says 109,000 child-sized vaccine doses are on their way to Beehive State and appointments are now available.
COVID-19 vaccine campaign expands to elementary school age children
Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated risk ratios
UDOH said it updated how the department calculates risk ratios on its data dashboard.
“We are now reporting age-adjusted risk ratios,” said UDOH officials. “This is an important update that more accurately reflects the risk to the general population. The change results in higher risk rates for unvaccinated people of being hospitalized and dying. This is because the previous no age adjustment method skewed data on older adults who are more likely to be vaccinated and hospitalized or die of COVID-19 than younger people. By adjusting the age, we better reflect the true risk for all Utahners. “
In the past 28 days, unvaccinated people were 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19, 10.8 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19, and 5 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 as a vaccinated person.
As of February 1, unvaccinated people have an 8.6 times higher risk of dying from COVID-19, 7.2 times higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, and a 3.6 times higher risk times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.
(UDOH)
Testing
UDOH reports that 3,734,619 people have been tested – 11,493 more than yesterday. Of those, 556,463 Utahners have tested positive for COVID-19 – an increase of 2,152 new cases.
The 7-day rolling average for positive tests was 1,469, up from 1,506 on Monday and 1,482 last Monday.
(UDOH)
By June 1, the 7-day rolling average in Utah had dropped to 200 cases.
The 7-day rolling average for percent positivity for “people over people” increased to 17.7%, while the 7-day rolling average for percent positivity for “tests over tests” increased to 11.6%.
Vaccinations
The state had administered a total of 3,783,453 vaccine doses as of Wednesday, an increase of 12,366 from yesterday’s numbers.
As of Wednesday, over 1.95 million Utahners had received at least one dose of a vaccine and over 1.75 million Utahners were fully vaccinated.
Over 4.51 million vaccines have been shipped to Utah.
Hospital stays
Currently, 554 people are hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 217 of them are in intensive care units.
Utah’s ICUs were 94% full and the ICU beds in Utah’s referral centers were 95.9% full as of Wednesday – above the state’s occupancy threshold or the 85% “functionally full” mark.
42 percent of the intensive care unit in Utah is attributable to COVID-19 patients.
(UDOH)
“With an overall intensive care utilization rate of about 69%, the intensive care units in major Utah hospitals that are able to provide the best care for COVID-19 patients are reaching their manpower,” UDOH officials said. “72 percent of usage in all hospitals and 77 percent in hospitals with referral centers place a heavy burden on the health system. When the capacity of 85% is reached, Utah will functionally no longer have any occupied intensive care beds, which indicates an overburdened hospital system. “
Deaths
As of Wednesday, the virus had killed 3,262 residents in the state.
The following deaths were reported on Wednesday:
- Male, between 65 and 84, Utah County residents, hospitalized at death
- Male, between 45 and 64, residents of Uintah County, hospitalized at the time of death
- Female, older than 85 years, resident of Utah County, resident of long-term care facility
- Female, 65 to 84 years old, resident of Utah County, hospitalized at death
- Male, older than 85, resident of Uintah County, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65 and 84, Weber County residents, hospitalized at death
- Male, between 45 and 64, residents of Summit County, hospitalized at death
- Male, between 45 and 64, residents of Weber County, hospitalized at death
- Female, aged 45 to 64, resident of Salt Lake County, hospitalized at death
- Male, between 45 and 64, residents of Salt Lake County, hospitalized at the time of death
- Female, 65 to 84 years old, resident of Utah County, hospitalized at death
- Male, between 65 and 84, residents of Box Elder County, hospitalized at the time of death
- Male, between 65 and 84, residents of Salt Lake County, hospitalized at the time of death
- Female, older than 85, resident of Salt Lake County, hospitalized at death
Nationwide numbers
Coronavirus resources
Have you or a family member been affected by coronavirus issues in Utah? KSL would like to hear from you. Contact KSL by email at [email protected].
Click here to register for a vaccine and here to see how vaccine rollout is progressing in Utah.
The latest COVID-19 stories from KSL can be found here.
How do I stop it?
The CDC has a few simple recommendations, most of which are the same, for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:
- To be vaccinated
- Avoid close contact with people who may be ill
- Avoid touching your face
- Stay home when you are sick
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the toilet, before eating, 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 that Americans continue to wear fabric face covers in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to follow (such as grocery stores and pharmacies).
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