Your Covid report for Tuesday:
🌡 1,140 cases, ⬆️ 177 from last week.
🎓246 school-aged cases #utpol
😔 9 deaths, 2,593
🏥 438 hospitalized
🧪 Testing data appears to be missing. I’ll get it later.
📈 7-day avg, 1,108 cases/day, 14.8%/10.5% pos
💉 5,747 new vax doses
Daily case average is back to where we were Feb. 8.
Hospitalizations up 19. There are 177 Covid patients in ICU, up four from yesterday. Referral ICUs are 84.3% full.
Risk Ratios:
Over the last 28 days, unvaccinated people are:
5x more likely to get infected
6.6x as likely to be hospitalized
5.9x as likely to die.
Of the 7,757 cases in the last week, 6,575 were unvaxxed. (84.8%)
There were 3 new breakthrough deaths reported. #utpol
As mentioned, 246 kids age 5-18 tested positive since yesterday. 147 of them were age 5-13.
In the past week, 963 kids age 5-13 tested positive, compared to 136 last year. (7.1x)
3 kids under 14 were hospitalized since yday.
Chart below & school cases in last 2 weeks. #utpol
There were 381 new cases of Delta variant added, bringing total to 5,985.
Vax facts:
• 1,783,954 with 1 dose, up 3,071 from yesterday. Now at 54.5% of all Utahns, 68.6% of those eligible.
• 1,551,747 fully vaxxed, up 2,826. Now at 47.4% and 59.7% respectively. #utpol
More long-term care cases (see below).
Here are the positivity rates that were missing above:
🧪 7,415 people tested, 15.4% positive; 12,554 total tests, 9.1% pos.
Remember the Lege “endgame” kicked in when 14-day cases/100k was 191? We’re at 440 now. Unvaxxed are ~700. #utpol
Tooele Health District still has the highest 7-day infection rate followed by Wasatch.
For 14-day infection rates, So. Utah County neck-and-neck with Tooele. Here are Top 20 & Bottom 20 w/ vax rates. Interesting outliers in both (Midvale, Provo/BYU, etc.). #utpol
Ah heck. Let’s do a quick PoopWatch:
Below is the DEQ sewage monitoring. Yellow is better than red, but keep in mind those yellows mean its holding at VERY high levels.
Two examples, Payson & Orem, included. #utpol#utpoo💩
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Mark Gaber is laying out how the amendment the Legislature has proposed eliminates the right of voters to pass voter initiatives and not have the Legislature immediately repeal them for any reason they want.
The language on the ballot says the opposite.
"It is counterfactual, it is 100% false" to say if voters pass the amendment state law will be changed to require the Lege to respect the initiative. It does not.
A reasonably intelligent voter would read the language and think they're strengthening the initiative process.
Gaber: It does not do that. It does the opposite.
"This is a right that has existed since 1895. We're here today because the Legislature sought for the first time to violate it."
Need to make sure voters aren't tricked into giving away that long-standing right.
Rep. Maloy, chairing the committee on the initiative bills, says they have three bills and want to spend no more than 20 mins on each one. Wants to give 10 mins for the public to speak. #utpol
Sen. Cullimore presenting the first bill. "I want to emphasize this is not specifically targeted at [the Supreme Court ruling]." He says the gerrymandering lawsuit will continue whether this passes or not. This is a bigger issue.
Cullimore: He says the "Alter & Reform" clause of the Utah Constitution hasn't been defined before now.
The Supreme Court created "super laws" that can't be revised by the Legislature.
He says it will be up to the people to decide what it means to alter and reform govt.
Following along on the hearing on whether to issue a temporary restraining order blocking Utah’s abortion trigger law from taking effect. Hearing is starting now.
Julie Murray from Planned Parenthood is arguing for the plaintiffs. #utpol
Murray argues this is not about state rights or Roe. It is about Utah’s law depriving women of rights guaranteed by Utah’s Constitution — bodily integrity and equal protection, when and if to start a family, conscription into parenthood. #utpol
Murray: So far, Planned Parenthood has turned away 2 dozen patients, 28 others waiting. Restraining order would permit them to get care.
Every day a person continues pregnancy she has decided to end, they suffer harm. There are emotion, physical, financial consequences. #utpol
About to start a news conference to give us a status update on Utah hospitals.
Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director, Utah Dept of Health, says we start the year in “dire position.” Today will report 8,913 new cases, a new record. 530 hospitalized. 188 in ICU. #utpol
Hofmann: We’ll report 13 new deaths today, including a child. Testing is bursting at the seams.
Hospitals are caring for more patients needing critical care with fewer staff because they’re out sick or exhausted.
Monoclonal antibodies are in critically short supply. #utpol
Hofmann: Only 1 of 3 monoclonals is effective against omicron. Oral antivirals are also in short supply. Between the two of them, can only treat 500 people a week.
The good news is there are plenty of vaccines. Get vaxxed, get boosted. #utpol
In UDOH call, Leisha Nolan, state epidemiologist, says it’s possible that omicron will be less severe but there are people out there who are immunocompromised and we don’t want to take chances.
It is concerning to see large groups of people coming together. #utpol
Nolen: Hard to predict when we’ll reach a peak. Probably have another bad few weeks if not a month or two ahead of us.
Even without a booster you were fairly well protected against delta. You really need a booster with omicron. It can get around the initial protection. #utpol
Tom Hudachko: Once testing sites reach an hour wait, we’re offering people to take a home-test with them instead of waiting in line.
Nolen: Home tests are not perfect but they are actually very good. Do prefer people get PCRs but its not possible to give everyone one. #utpol
ICU patients up 3 to 181 from yesterday. Referral ICUs 94.3% full.
Risk Ratios
In past 4 wks, unvaxxed Utahns are
• 2.7x as likely to test positive
• 9.2x as likely to be hospitalized
• 16.8x as likely to die from Covid.
School aged kids were 13.4% of todays total. #utpol