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Utah is seeing a summer rerun of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Delta variant has made case counts and hospitalizations rise to levels not seen for months, a leading doctor warned.
“We are in a very similar place to where we were last summer,” said Dr. Brandon Webb, an infectious diseases physician at Intermountain Healthcare, during a COVID-19 community briefing broadcast on Facebook Live.
The Utah Department of Health reported 873 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday — the most in a single day since Feb. 17, when there were 1,148. The rolling seven-day average of new cases is 611 — the highest it’s been since Feb. 28, when it was 634.
Webb warned that Utahns “have to face the possibility of social restrictions” — such as wearing face masks and keeping six feet away from other people — that were instituted last year as case counts, hospitalizations and deaths increased.
The difference, Webb noted, is that now “all of that can be prevented through vaccination.”
UDOH, in announcing Wednesday’s numbers, issued yet another plea for people to get vaccinated.
“We have the tool to end the disruption and inconveniences of COVID-19 on our lives and the economy — vaccination,” according to the statement. “More than 186 million Americans have chosen to get vaccinated under the most intense safety monitoring in history. In Utah, more than 1.6 million Utahns have had at least one dose and 1.4 million are fully vaccinated. Nearly all COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are now among those who have chosen to not get vaccinated.”
UDOH pointed to “studies from around the globe” that “continue to show the vaccines work” — that they are “safe and effective” and “serious side effects are rare.” The department went on to urge Utahns to “seek out credible information about the vaccines from their healthcare provider and reputable health organizations.”
In Utah, free vaccinations are available to anyone 12 or older, and there are “hundreds” of vaccine providers across the state.
Webb said there is concern among health care workers that people have grown weary of hearing about the pandemic.
“There is certainly a sentiment,” Webb said, “that the community is so tired of this, they’re ready to abandon the precautions that worked over the winter.”
Another growing sentiment, Webb said, is that health care workers “are worried about being abandoned.”
“The reality is the pandemic is not over,” Webb said. “This is a terrible disease that affects people’s lives and livelihoods. It’s affecting more Utahns every single day.”
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 6,434 / 2,963,291.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 1,456,605.
Cases reported in past day • 873.
Deaths reported in past day • Four: A Salt Lake County woman between the ages of 25-44, a Salt Lake County man 45-64, a Uintah County woman 45-64, and a Utah County man 45-64.
Tests reported in past day • 5,004 people were tested for the first time. A total of 9,335 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 295. That’s two more than on Tuesday. Of those currently hospitalized, 121 are in intensive care, two fewer than on Tuesday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 17.4%. That’s higher than the seven-day average of 13.4%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Wednesday’s rate was 9.4%, about the same as the seven-day average of 9.3%
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 425,603 cases; 2,424 deaths; 18,204 hospitalizations; 2,872,453 people tested.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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