HEALTH

Utah sets new daily COVID-19 case record for second day

UPDATED: JANUARY 6, 2022 AT 11:27 AM

Long COVID-19 testing line stretching along Pioneer Road towards Draper Senior Center on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 in Draper. More than a 100 cars waiting over three hours were seen at the testing site. Photo: Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News

BY BECKY BRUCE
News Director

SALT LAKE CITY — For the second day in a row, Utah health officials said the state set a record for the number of daily COVID-19 case counts. Additionally, one of the Utahns reported to have died from COVID-19 is a girl between the ages of 1 and 14.

The Utah Department of Health reported 8,913 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, for a total of 672,567 since the pandemic began.

In addition, the agency reported 530 Utahns required hospitalization for COVID-19 on Thursday. Another 13 Utahns died as the result of coronavirus, including that young girl, a Salt Lake County resident reportedly hospitalized at the time of her death. The remaining victims ranged in age from 25 to over 85. Four lived in Salt Lake County; three lived in Washington County; another three lived in Utah County; and the final two victims lived in Weber and Davis Counties, respectively.

COVID-19 and school-age children

Utah health officials said of the 8,913 new cases, 1,247 or about 14% occurred among school-age children. Broken down, there were 401 new cases among children ages 5 – 10, 271 new cases among children ages 11 – 13, and 575 new cases among teens ages 14 – 17.

Vaccines and risk assessment

12,984 more Utahns received the COVID-19 vaccine in the latest health department numbers. To date, health officials in the state have administered 4,602,066 vaccine doses.

According to the health department, for the last 28 days, the risk of coming down with COVID-19 is 2.6 times greater for unvaccinated Utahns. For hospitalization, the risk to the unvaccinated is 8.9 times greater than that of vaccinated Utahns. And health officials report unvaccinated Utahns face 17.1 times greater risk of death than vaccinated Utahns.

Rolling averages and trends

According to UDOH, the rolling 7-day average for positive COVID-19 tests in Utah is 5,083 per day.

Health officials report an increase of 22,345 Utahns tested for COVID-19 since the day before, and an increase of 41,155 tests performed.

That means the rolling 7-day average of people testing positive in Utah is 24.2%, and the rolling 7-day average of total positive test results is 16.4%.

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Wear a mask to protect yourself and others per CDC recommendations.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet).
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities).
Obtain a flu shot.
Seek out the COVID-19 vaccine.