The fast-spreading COVID-19 variant arrived in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s first case of the highly contagious COVID-19 variant was reported Friday in a Salt Lake County man between the ages of 25 and 44 who tested positive last month but did not travel outside the state and experienced only mild symptoms.

“We fully expected that we would find this tension in Utah,” said Dr. State epidemiologist Angela Dunn said and advised that it is now more important that Utahns follow the same guidelines for public health to slow the spread of the deadly virus, such as wearing a mask.

“We know this type is more communicable than previous COVID-19 variants, and our hospitals are still working near or over capacity,” she said. “So more than ever, Utah residents must wear masks, physically distance themselves and avoid large gatherings.”

Dunn said that the way the variant spreads has not changed, but the mutation makes it easier for the virus to enter the body and attach itself to cells, making people more susceptible to getting sick. However, she said that the variant humans apparently are not sicker or more likely to die, and that it responds to existing vaccines.

Kelly Oakeson, a genomics researcher at the Utah Public Health Laboratory, said he believes the variant is spreading more widely, as only about 10% of the positive samples in the state are sequenced to determine whether the strain is present.

The news comes as the state reported 2,543 new cases of coronavirus and 12 additional deaths. Another 12,985 Utahns were tested for the deadly virus as of Friday and the running averages of seven days for positive tests are 2,391 per day and 25% for percentage positive laboratory tests.

There have now been 320,102 COVID-19 cases in Utah since the pandemic began in March.

The Utah Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first case of what is often referred to as the ‘British variant’, a mutation that has led to an exclusion in Britain. The virus strain is spreading about 50% faster, according to British researchers, and is expected to lead to a rapid increase in new cases across the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Friday that the variant, first spotted in the United States late last month in Colorado, could become the largest COVID-19 strain in the country and the already rapid increase in cases speed up.

Only 76 cases of the variant have been reported by the CDC in the United States, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland since Wednesday in the United States. It climbed to 88 on Friday, including the case in Utah and others in New Mexico and Nebraska.

Utah health officials conducted genetic sequencing of positive COVID-19 samples to look for the variant, and the Salt Lake County Department of Health conducted a routine investigation and contact detection of the case.

Oakeson said that while the United States is lagging behind in the process used to track down the variant, Utah is one of the states making the effort. He said Utah should soon have the ability to handle the order of 3,000 test samples every other day.

Vaccine shortage

On Friday, Utah and other states also learned that there are no vaccine reserves available to boost the number of doses distributed, despite the fact that Alex Azar, health secretary Alex Azar, said earlier this week that vaccines held for second doses, will be released, possibly doubling the countries. would receive.

Rich Lakin, director of immunization at the Utah Department of Health, told Deseret News the department was notified Friday by the head of Operation Warp Speed, which oversees the distribution of vaccines, that states no more than an additional 2 % to 5% of the doses, because that’s all that has been set aside.

Lakin said Utah did not expect to receive more than the 33,000 doses already allocated, based on population and shared with pharmacy chains that vaccinate patients and staff for long-term care facilities, calling itself “very skeptical” about the possibility of a sudden windfall.

“They did not convey the message very well,” he said, after the Washington Post reported Friday there were no vaccine supplies. Lakin said Operation Warp Speed ​​was caught off guard by Azar’s announcement: “It was a surprise to them by the way when the Trump administration said, ‘We’re releasing all the doses. ‘

Election president Joe Biden’s transition team said earlier this month that the new government would release all doses in an effort to get more people vaccinated faster, something that has already been done in Britain.

Some states, such as Oregon, rely on the additional doses promised by Azar as efforts are underway to vaccinate older Americans, as well as those with underlying medical conditions. Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, in Oregon describes it as a deception on a national scale. ‘

Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah, was more measured.

“We continue to work with outgoing and incoming administrations to gain more clarity on the amount and rhythm of vaccines coming to our state,” Cox, a Republican, said in a statement. “We are hopeful that we will soon see an increased amount of vaccines.”

Deaths in Utah: 1,472

Utah’s 13 local health departments are beginning vaccinations of residents 70 years and older, following hospitals and other health care workers, patients for long-term care facilities, emergency staff and staff, first responders and teachers and school staff.

According to the state, 142,751 vaccine doses administered an increase of 9,544 as of Friday.

Currently, 584 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, bringing the total hospitalizations in the state to more than 12,300. Utah’s death toll from the virus has now reached 1,472. The 12 deaths reported on Friday are:

• Two men in Salt Lake County, both between the ages of 45 and 64, who were both hospitalized at the time of death.
• Two men in Salt Lake County, 65-84, were both admitted to the hospital.
• Two men in Salt Lake County, 65-84, residents for long-term care.
• A woman from Salt Lake County, over the age of 85, resident for long-term care.
• A Tooele County woman, 65-84, was admitted to the hospital.
• A Utah County man, over 85, has been admitted to the hospital.
• A Washington County man, 65-84, and a longtime resident.
• A Weber County man, 65-84, resident for long-term care.
• A Weber County woman, 65-84, who was not admitted to the hospital at the time of death.