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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported 18 more COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, along with 7,493 new cases of the disease.
School children account for 1,064 of the new cases. Of those cases, 472 children were between ages 5 and 10, 263 children from 11-13, and 329 children from 14-17.
The rolling, seven-day average for new positive tests is now 8,478 per day, which seems to be on a downward trend. The seven-day average for positive tests, however, is rising and hit 46.6% Wednesday — a new pandemic record.
The health department reported another 17,075 people who were tested, an increase from Tuesday.
Currently, 776 people are hospitalized in the state with COVID-19 — more than at any other point during the pandemic. University of Utah Health has predicted that a rise in hospitalizations would follow the rise in cases due to the omicron variant.
Of those 776 hospital patients, 192 are in intensive care units, according to state data. About 86% of all ICU beds in Utah were filled as of Wednesday, including about 89% of ICU beds in the state's 16 referral hospitals, according to the health department. Of the rest of the state's hospital beds, 55.8% are currently in use.
Throughout the pandemic, 30,706 people in Utah have been hospitalized with COVID-19, the average age of these people is 53.2.
Health officials report that 31.8% of people who were hospitalized have at least one pre-existing condition and 52% of them were considered high risk, which means they are over 65 and have a pre-existing condition.
The Utah Department of Health reported that 4.8% of the more than 640,000 COVID-19 cases they have investigated have led to a hospitalization.
Those who are vaccinated have a lower chance of being hospitalized or catching COVID-19. Health officials said that in the last 28 days, Utahns who are not vaccinated have a 2.3 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19, a five times greater risk of hospitalization, and an 11.1 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19.
Of the 7,493 cases reported on Wednesday, 2,046, or 27%, were breakthrough cases occurring in people who were fully vaccinated. Of the 18 people who died, three were individuals who were vaccinated.
The latest deaths include:
- A Box Elder County woman, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Cache County man, over 85, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County woman, over 85, a resident of a long-term care facility.
- Two Salt Lake County women, 65-84, both hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County woman, 45-64, hospitalized.
- Two Salt Lake County men, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County man, over 85, hospitalized.
- A Summit County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Utah County man, 25-44, hospitalized.
- A Utah County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- Two Utah County men, 65-84, both hospitalized.
- A Washington County man, over 85, hospitalized.
- A Washington County woman, 65-84 hospitalized.
- A Weber County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Weber County woman, 45-64, hospitalized.
