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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported another 3,563 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and seven additional deaths.
The rolling, seven-day average for new cases has now jumped to 1,898 per day, and the positive rate of those tested is 12.4%, the Utah Department of Health said. Across the state, 436 patients were being treated in hospitals for the disease — a decrease of 22 since last Thursday, Dec. 23.
It marks the second day in a row with more than 3,000 new cases. After Utah confirmed more than 3,300 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday — the highest daily cases in nearly a year — an infectious disease physician says the state is in for another holiday surge.
Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, with Intermountain Healthcare, said he anticipates the numbers will continue rising due to the Christmas holiday, when many were unlikely to get tested. Now there's a backlog of tests, and the majority of cases in the state are due to the more-transmissible omicron variant, he added during a news conference on Thursday.
Hospitalizations, however, continue to slowly decrease. Current hospitalized COVID-19 patients have the delta variant, Stenehjem said, and hospitalizations are a lagging indicator. As cases driven by omicron rise, hospitalizations will likely rise as well, he noted.
On Twitter, Gov. Spencer Cox also noted Thursday that "as expected, case numbers are increasing exponentially as this variant is far more contagious. Fortunately, we know much more than we did just a couple weeks ago."
He said the omicron variant "appears to be significantly different in several positive ways," including "significantly lower" hospitalization rates and less severe illness. Those hospitalized need less supplemental oxygen and ventilation assistance, and while it "may crowd out" the delta variant, the booster shot and the oral antiviral medication from Pfizer "appear very effective" against the variant, he said.
"All of that being said, our hospitals are still very busy with delta patients, RSV and now flu season picking up. The next few weeks may be a little bumpy, but we have more tools than ever before to protect ourselves!" Cox said in the tweet.
He emphasized that vaccines, especially boosters, "remain the best way to protect against all variants," and that N95 masks can "add a layer of protection."
"Avoid large crowds (especially) if vulnerable. Please stay home if you feel sick. Testing sites will be carrying heavy loads, so please be patient," Cox urged.
He thanked health care workers "who continue to give everything and save lives."
On the optimistic side, European countries that saw a quick spike of omicron cases earlier in December are now seeing decreases, according to Stenehjem. It's too soon to know how quickly cases will climb in Utah before making a downturn, he said.
As omicron spreads, our community also has "significant immunity" — a high proportion of residents are vaccinated and/or have had previous infections.
The vaccines aren't perfect at preventing infection, Stenehjem acknowledged, and reinfections are occurring "all over right now." But baseline immunity may protect residents from severe disease, including the need for hospitalization, ventilation and death.
"And so it's a very different time" compared to the delta variant, which largely spread in the unvaccinated population, he said.
New Utah data
Of the cases confirmed Thursday, 1,679 were "breakthrough," meaning among those who had been fully vaccinated more than two weeks before testing positive for COVID-19. The state also reported two more breakthrough deaths. That brings total breakthrough cases since vaccines became available to 63,527, and there have been 351 breakthrough deaths.
School-age children accounted for 360 of Thursday's new cases — 127 cases were ages 5-10, 87 cases were 11-13, and 146 cases were 14-17.
Nearly 15,500 people were tested for the coronavirus since Wednesday's report.
Health care workers administered 14,378 vaccine doses, bringing total doses given in Utah to 4,541,293, including booster shots. Now 63.2% of Utahns ages 5 and older have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
As of Thursday, 642,302 residents have received a booster shot, according to the state health department.
A death reported Wednesday was removed from the state's total fatalities. The deaths reported Thursday include:
- An Iron County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County woman, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Sanpete County woman, 25-44, not hospitalized.
- A Utah County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Washington County man, 65-84, not hospitalized.
- A Weber County woman, 65-84, long-term care facility resident.
