Utah reports the most new COVID-19 cases in five months

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/08/12/utah-reports-most-new/

Utah reports the most new COVID-19 cases in five months
You’re five times more likely to test positive and 7.6 times more likely to die if you’re unvaccinated, health department says.
By Scott D. Pierce
| Aug. 12, 2021, 3:41 p.m.
| Updated: 7:49 p.m.

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There were 1,243 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Utah in the past day — the most in five months. (There were 1,250 on Feb. 10.)

In the past four weeks, unvaccinated Utahns were 7.6 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to a new analysis from the Utah Department of Health. The unvaccinated were also 6.9 times more likely to be hospitalized, and five times more likely to test positive from the coronavirus.

Based on data from the past six-plus months — since Feb. 1 — unvaccinated Utahns are 10.7 times more likely to die of COVID-19, 6.2 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 5.9 times more likely to test positive, according to UDOH.

The case count is up 39% from one week ago (897 on Aug. 5), and is 2.6 times what it was a month ago (478 on July 12). Three months ago, it was 416 (May 12); six months ago it was 943 (Feb. 12); and a year ago it was 334 (Aug. 12, 2020).

The rolling seven-day average of new cases stands at 843...

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/8...gain-as-utah-covid-19-cases-continue-to-surge


Hospitals fear becoming overwhelmed again as Utah COVID-19 cases continue to surge
By Ashley Imlay, KSL.com@ashley_imlay Aug 20, 2021, 1:52pm MDT

A Utah hospital leader on Friday warned residents to expect COVID-19 cases to continue to skyrocket as more students return to school — with fewer health precautions than earlier in the pandemic.

State health officials on Friday reported 1,116 new COVID-19 cases, including 216 in school-aged children. They also reported nine new deaths due to the disease. The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 1,043 per day, and the average positivity rate of those tested is 14%.

"What we expect to see and hope that we don't is that we will see some pretty significant transmission in the school," said Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, an infectious diseases physician with Intermountain Healthcare.

Although the coronavirus doesn't cause severe illness for most children, it does for a small percentage, some of whom are now receiving treatment at Primary Children's Hospital, Stenehjem said. But students will bring the infection home to their parents and grandparents, and lead to further spread throughout communities.

At Intermountain's COVID-19 "hub" hospitals, which care for the most seriously ill patients, intensive care units were at 101.2% capacity on Friday, Stenehjem said.

"When you look at all our ICU beds across the organization, we're at 99% capacity. So we are definitely in that position where we are struggling to find ICU beds to care for all the patients that need them, that includes COVID and non-COVID alike," he added.

The doctor said he doesn't anticipate the situation will improve "any time soon."

Stenehjem said cases are trending up in younger populations...