Utah corona virus cases have increased by 1,968 as hospital ICUs have been reduced

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Seven more wolves die from COVID-19.

(Rick Egan | Salt Lake Tribune) Casey Murphy Tests for Kovit-19 on Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Intermountain Healthcare Cottonwood Instagram.

| Dec. 14, 2020, 8:12 p.m.

| Updated: December 15, 2020, 1:31 p.m.

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Intensive care units are almost full in Utah, which is more efficient after a weekend.

The state health department said 89.6% of all ICU beds were in use, compared to 96.6% on Sunday. ICU beds for major referral centers, which take care of most corona virus patients, occupied 93.5% on Monday, up from 101.7% the previous day.

Health workers warn Udons about the dangers of full ICUs, which are close to being understaffed.

At a news conference on Monday, Dr. Eddie Steinheim, an epidemiologist at Intermountain Healthcare, said: “Cases come first, then hospitalization, then ICU admission.”

Health services have been warning since October that higher hospital admission rates could lead to doctors’ ration care. Hospital administrators have previously discussed criteria for “crisis standards of care” that would require the approval of government Gary Herbert. Under those circumstances, younger patients may have a higher priority than older ones, and patients in ICUs who fail to improve will leave to accommodate others.

“We are in constant contact with Utah’s hospital networks,” said Anna Lehnard, director of communications for the governor. “Although they continue to experience high levels of stress due to being admitted to the COVID-19 hospital, they have not yet asked the governor to enforce crisis safety standards.

Hospitals operate to address ICU needs by opening new beds and new units, but patients admitted to ICUs generally tend to stay longer than those admitted to other conditions.

“We are adding a large number of people to the ICUs at a rapid pace and they are not being discharged from the ICUs at the same pace,” he said.

The state Department of Health announced seven new deaths on Monday.

  • A man from Iron County, aged 45-64

  • A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 65-84

  • A man from Dulee County, over 85 years old

  • A male mutta county aged 65-84

  • A man aged 45-64 from Wasach County

  • Two women from Washington County, one between 45-64 and the other 65-84

Only one day in December was observed in Utah with zero COVID-19 related deaths.

The number of new cases reported on Monday was 1,968, the first time it had fallen below 2,000 points in December.

A total of 1,580,843 Utahs have been tested for the corona virus, including 5,621 news tests on Monday, less than a month.

The seven-day average for positive tests was 24.07%, and an average of 2,598 positive tests were found for one day per week. That test positive rate is an indication that the virus is spreading under control in the state.

Although Utah hospitals have been receiving corona virus vaccines since Monday, health experts warn that social security should be vigilant and follow best practices to prevent the spread of the virus, including social exclusion and wearing masks. Vaccines will not be ready for the general public until this spring or summer.

“We can’t tolerate a series of lawsuits and subsequent hospitalizations,” Stenehem said. “We need to make sure we control this from a public health standpoint until that vaccine becomes widely available in the coming months.”

The doctor praised Utah residents for paying close attention to the distant guidelines in thanking them. Health providers expect an increase in cases after the holidays, but saw a smaller increase than expected.

Greg Bell, with the Utah Hospital Association, said the state has fewer infections than officials feared for three things: Herbert’s social distance order, the need for his statewide mask and “Utah’s citizens respond to emergency counseling and medical advice.”

“But if we leave our foot on the gas pedal, we can end up,” Bell said.

Steinheim urged the community to follow similar precautionary measures now and then during the holidays, including Christmas and Hanukkah.

“Don’t go out of your house to enjoy those holidays,” he said.

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