A Utah doctor worries when he sees how to get a case that touches a plateau.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Siraj Ahmed, 67, receives the first free vaccination against Modern from the nurse apprentice of the Salt Lake County Health Department on Thursday. More than 120 people were scheduled to receive the first photos of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at Central Islamic Republic of Utah, West Jordan, on March 18, 2021.
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Utah continues on its COVID-19 plateau, with 447 new cases reported Friday. And an infectious disease doctor at Intermountain Healthcare is worried that Utahns will start leaving his “guard a little.”
“We saw that there is a very nice downward trend in our cases,” Dr. Eddie Stenehjem said. “We have been, later, plateaus. And now I think we are starting to see a slight increase in cases. “
The Utah Department of Health also reported 17 more deaths on Friday. Twelve of these occurred before February 19 and it was only recently confirmed that they would be the result of COVID-19. Thirteen of those who died were 65 or older, but one was a man between the ages of 18 and 24 and another was a woman between the ages of 25 and 44.
Because there is optimism as more people get vaccinated, Stenehjem said, “Start increasing your social circles a bit and that will lead to an increase in transmissions.” And the data show that the “younger population” (age groups 1 to 14 and 15 to 24) has experienced an increase in cases.
“We have to keep in mind that, yes, the vaccines are going very well. And it will go faster than we expected, both nationally and in the state of Utah, ”he said. “It simply came to our notice then. We don’t have the vaccinated masses to the point that we have any kind of protection from the point of view of “herd immunity”. “
[Read more: Utahns find the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can bring harsher side effects]
While Utah is “approaching” and it’s “a very optimistic time,” Stenehjem said, “we just have to be very careful not to declare victory before we are at the finish line here.”
Dose of vaccines administered last day / total doses administered • 31.146 / 1.111.185.
Fully vaccinated Utahns • 402,988.
Cases reported last day • 447.
Deaths reported last day • 17.
Salt Lake County reported six deaths: an 18- to 24-year-old man; one man and three women 65-84; and a man over 85 years old.
There were three deaths in Washington County: two men and a woman aged 65 to 84.
Two Cache County residents died: a 25- to 44-year-old woman and a 85-year-old man. And two Davis County residents died: a 45-64-year-old man and a 65- to 84-year-old man.
Four counties reported a single death each: a 65- to 84-year-old man in Iron County; a man over 85 in Tooele County; a 45-64-year-old woman in Uintah County; and a 65- to 84-year-old woman in Weber County.
Hospitalizations reported last day • 176. This has gone down 13 from Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 61 are in intensive care units, two fewer than on Thursday.
Tests reported last day • 5,967 people were tested for the first time. A total of 15,565 people were tested.
Percentage of positive tests • According to the original method of the state, the rate is 7.5%. This is below the seven-day average of 8.3%.
His new method counts all test results, including repeated tests from the same individual. Thursday’s rate now stands at 2.9%, below the seven-day average of 4.2%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Total so far • 380,787 cases; 2,058 dead; 15,241 hospitalizations; 2,320,731 people were tested.