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ST. GEORGE — Data from the Utah Department of Health indicates that as far as new infections are concerned, the surge of the omicron variant that broke pandemic records in Southern Utah has receded.
However, the damage of the infections remains in a still crowded to capacity hospital and a surge in reported local COVID-19 deaths over the last three days. With the pandemic more than two years old now, medical professionals are well aware of the COVID-19 surge cycle of one to two weeks of an increase in infections, followed by a week or two of increased hospitalizations and deaths.
"Those two measures will typically lag behind a case drop by a couple of weeks," said David Heaton, spokesperson for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.
Heaton said the 14 deaths of COVID-19 in Southern Utah in the last week were on par with the 15 reported the week before, both of which were about five deaths above average.
The Utah Department of Health reports that of the 14 deaths of locals added since last Thursday, 12 have come in the last three days.
As far as COVID-19 hospitalizations locally and the capacity at St. George Regional Hospital, the report from hospital officials on Thursday was that it was the "same."
Read the full article at St. George News.
KSL's Southern Utah News Section
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