The state sees 1,819 new cases, now in the top five U.S. cases per capita

The state sees 1,819 new cases, now in the top five U.S. cases per capita

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With seven more deaths reported on Sunday, 87 people died last week.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Healthcare worker Melissa Georgi is harassing her husband, Nephi Georgi, while receiving the vaccine with colleagues while on a work break on Wednesday. The Davis County Department of Health conducted a drive-by vaccination for health workers and first responders at the Legacy Center in Farmington, December 30, 2020.

| 3 January 2021, 20:03

| Updated: 8:33 PM

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Utah ended a tumultuous week with the coronavirus by adding 1,819 cases, meaning 18,599 new cases were reported in the week after the Christmas holidays.

Overall, there were 283,473 counted cases of coronavirus in Utah, meaning about 1 in 11 Utah residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. Officials expect it to somewhat underestimate the number of people who contracted the virus, as testing was sometimes limited and often missed asymptomatic cases.

The number of cases puts Utah in fifth place in the country for cases per capita in the United States, behind only North and South Dakota, Iowa and Tennessee. Utah moved up the rankings after setting a new daily record in coronavirus cases on December 31, a day with 4,672 cases indicated on a post-Christmas boom.

However, despite the high number of cases, Utah ranks only 45th in the country in terms of deaths per capita. Utah’s relatively young, healthy population has meant that those who get the coronavirus are less likely to die than in other states. In terms of testing, Utah is 20th per capita.

The week after Christmas, Utah’s positive rates also reached new highs. Sunday’s report saw an increase of 4,802 tests, meaning a positive rate of 37.8%. The Utah Department of Health says the state’s seven-day positive percentage is 29.2%.

Seven Utahs have reportedly died since Saturday from the coronavirus, bringing the weekly score to 87 and the overall score to 1,301. Sunday’s new deaths were:

• Three Washington County men, two between 65 and 84 and one older than 85.

• Two men in Utah County, one between 65 and 84, the other older than 85.

• A Salt Lake County man over the age of 85.

• A Weber County woman between the ages of 65 and 84.

Meanwhile, 486 people were admitted to hospital on Sunday with the virus. The hospital’s intensive care units for referral centers have a capacity of 86.4%, which is still higher than the standard of 85% where hospital officials can effectively staff the available beds.

The deployment of the vaccine accelerated this week, while still not setting the targets of state and federal officials. Utah Senator Mitt Romney has lamented the lack of a federal vaccination plan, calling it “as incomprehensible as inexcusable.”

Local officials are also disappointed with the speed of vaccination. Rich Lakin, Utah’s Department of Vaccination Program Manager, said at a news conference on Wednesday that Utah’s vaccination numbers were slower than we expected, and slower than we wanted. But we take up some steam. ‘

A total of 47,382 people have been vaccinated in Utah so far, an increase of just 1,008 in Sunday’s report. Since the vaccination began, Utah has seen an average of 2,632 new vaccinations per day – at that rate, it will take nearly 20 months to vaccinate 50% of Utah’s population. The slow vaccination timeline has meant that the expected vaccination date for teachers, originally mid-January, has been delayed by at least a week.
This week also saw more of the inner workings of Utah’s response to the coronavirus. Utah Department of Health officials, including state epidemiologist Angela Dunn, were frustrated by some of the economy’s first actions taken by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, email discovered by The Salt Lake Tribune , showed. Dunn was concerned about her team’s lack of oversight with projects such as TestUtah.com, which runs the governors’ office.
Utahns did reduce their vacation-related travel due to the pandemic, but less than residents of other states. Overall, 20% fewer Utahns went on road trips this holiday season, compared to a 27% reduction nationally. The Sundance Film Festival has officially canceled any personal activities.

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