The coronavirus is surging in Utah at levels not seen in about a year, fueled by the rapidly spreading omicron variant.
On Tuesday, the state’s rolling seven-day average of new cases stood at 3,754 — the highest ever reported in Utah. The previous high of 3,392 cases was reported on Nov. 22, 2020.
Even still, recent case spikes likely represent “a dramatic undercount of positive tests,” Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, an infectious diseases physician at Intermountain Healthcare, said Monday. That’s because they do not factor in at-home tests, which also were not available for most of 2020.
The Salt Lake Tribune created the following graphs to help visualize COVID-19′s resurgence in Utah and compare it to prior trends:
Hospitalization trends tend to lag about a week or two behind case spikes, experts say, but they are beginning to rise in Utah.
Recent evidence suggests omicron infections may cause less severe illness, but the sheer amount of cases may still result in “negative health and social outcomes,” according to a public health advisory issued Tuesday by the Salt Lake County Health Department.
[Read more: Surgeries delayed with 500 University of Utah Hospital staff out sick amid COVID outbreak]
The public health advisory urged residents to wear masks in public through Jan. 31 and isolate at home if you are feeling ill, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Intensive care units across the state continue to hover around capacity, the Utah Department of Health has reported.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Deaths trends also tend to lag about a week or two behind case spikes, experts say.
The state Health Department on Monday confirmed 17 more deaths over the long New Year’s weekend. On Tuesday, the Health Department reported seven more COVID-19 deaths.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
[Read more: 5 things you should know about COVID-19 in Utah right now]
