State sees 1,819 new cases, now in the top five in the US in per capita cases

State sees 1,819 new cases, now in the top five in the US in per capita cases

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

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Health care professionals Melissa Georgi teases her husband Nephi Georgi when he gets the vaccine with co-workers during a break from work on Wednesday. The Davis County Health Department operated a drive-thru vaccination for non-hospital health workers and first responders at the Legacy Center in Farmington, December 30, 2020.

| January 3, 2021, 8:03 pm

| Updated: 20h33

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Utah ended a tumultuous week with the coronavirus by adding 1,819 cases to the count, meaning that a total of 18,599 new cases were reported in the week after the Christmas holiday.

Overall, there were 283,473 counted coronavirus cases in Utah, meaning that about 1 in 11 Utah residents tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. The authorities hope that this will slightly underestimate the number of people who actually contracted the virus, as testing is sometimes limited and often fails to detect asymptomatic cases.

This case rate ranks Utah fifth in the country for cases per capita in the United States, behind only North and South Dakota, Iowa and Tennessee. Utah climbed the ranks after setting a new daily record for coronavirus cases on December 31, a day with 4,672 reported cases that pointed to a post-Christmas increase.

However, despite the high case count, Utah ranks only 45th in the country in terms of deaths per capita. Utah’s relatively young and healthy population means that those who contract the coronavirus are less likely to die than in other states. In terms of testing, Utah is ranked 20th per capita.

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

Seven Utahns have been reported to have died since Saturday due to the coronavirus, bringing the weekly count to 87 and the overall count to 1,301. Sunday’s new deaths were:

• Three men from Washington County, two between 65 and 84 and one over 85.

• Two men from Utah County, one between 65 and 84 and the other over 85.

• A man from Salt Lake County over 85 years old.

• A woman from Weber County between 65 and 84 years old.

Meanwhile, 486 people were hospitalized with the virus on Sunday. The intensive care units at the referral center hospital have 86.4% of capacity, still above the 85% reference where hospital staff can effectively occupy the available beds.

The vaccine’s launch accelerated this week, although it still falls short of the targets set by state and federal officials. Utah Senator Mitt Romney criticized the lack of a federal vaccination plan, calling it “as incomprehensible as it is unforgivable”.

Local authorities were also disappointed with the speed of vaccination. Rich Lakin, Utah Department of Health’s immunization program manager, said at a news conference on Wednesday that Utah’s vaccination numbers were “slower than we had anticipated and slower than we wanted. But we are gaining strength. “

Overall, 47,382 people have been vaccinated in Utah so far, an increase of just 1,008 in Sunday’s report. Since vaccinations started, Utah has seen an average of 2,632 new vaccinations per day – at that rate, it would take almost 20 months to vaccinate 50% of Utah’s population. The slow vaccination schedule meant that the scheduled date for teachers to be vaccinated, originally scheduled for mid-January, was postponed by at least a week.
This week also saw more about the inner workings of Utah’s coronavirus response coming to light. Utah Department of Health officials – including state epidemiologist Angela Dunn – were frustrated by some of the first economic actions taken by the governor’s Office of Administration and Budget, emails showed by The Salt Lake Tribune showed. Dunn was concerned about his team’s lack of supervision over projects like TestUtah.com, run by the governor’s office.
Utahns cut vacation-related travel due to the pandemic, but less than residents of other states. Overall, 20% fewer Utahns made road trips this holiday season, compared to a 27% reduction nationally. The Sundance Film Festival has officially canceled all face-to-face activities.

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