SALT LAKE CITY — Utah nearly doubled the previous single-day record for new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, reporting 7,247 cases. The number of cases is more than the total number of cases reported in the state over the first 68 days of the pandemic.
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The state's previous single-day case record was 4,706 set on Dec. 30, 2020.
“Unfortunately, we can expect numbers this high and possibly higher for the next few weeks as Omicron sweeps through our community,” says Dr. Leisha Nolen, state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health.
The state also reported 44 new deaths, although 23 of them occurred before Dec. 1, 2021.
According to officials, 495 people in Utah are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
The rolling 7-day average for positive tests is now at 4,317 per day. The rolling 7-day average for percent positivity of "people over people" is 22.9%. and the rolling 7-day average for percent positivity of "tests over tests" is 15.5%.
Among the new cases, school-aged children accounted for 973 of them, including 361 cases in children ages 5-10, 193 cases in children ages 11-13, and 419 cases in children ages 14-18.
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"In the last 28 days, people who are unvaccinated are at 16.8 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 9.2 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 2.7 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people," UDOH reports. "Since February 1, 2021, people who are unvaccinated are at 6.8 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 5.6 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 2.3 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people."
With 44 additional deaths reported Wednesday, Utah's death toll stands at 3,855:
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 65-84, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 25-44, Davis County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 25-44, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 25-44, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Utah County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Tooele County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Davis County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Female, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, not hospitalized at time of death
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 45-64, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Female, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, long-term care facility resident
- Male, older than 85, Salt Lake County resident, unknown if hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 25-44, Salt Lake County resident, hospitalized at time of death
- Male, between 65-84, Weber County resident, hospitalized at time of death