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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health officials reported 4,504 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths over the past seven days, as the state continues to see a spike.
The average daily case count stood at about 643 for the week, according to the data released Thursday by the Utah Department of Health. The state confirmed 148 additional hospitalized patients with COVID-19 over the past week, and emergency room visits pertaining to the coronavirus are up from 1.53% the previous week to 2.23%.
Dr. Brandon Webb, infectious disease physician at Intermountain Healthcare, said the reported case counts — though high — are likely a "severe undercount," because the state is seeing a high positive rate among those tested.
"We're in a surge phase again, and what we're watching is how that's played out across the country and especially in other places of the world that typically precede the United States," Webb said during a news conference on Thursday.
"We should expect to continue to rise for at least another four weeks or so, would be my guess."
Gov. Spencer Cox noted earlier Thursday during his monthly PBS news conference that he's "part of that spike," after he tested positive for COVID-19 one week earlier.
He said he's now feeling well and has passed his isolation period, but the illness caused the worst sore throat he's ever had, Cox said.
"It felt like a hot branding iron was down my throat," he said.
The symptoms then moved to his chest, leading to a cough. The governor said he consulted with his doctor about whether to take an antiviral treatment — he quipped that the 10 pounds he gained since taking office made him potentially eligible — but he decided not to in order to preserve the treatments for others amid the surge.
Cox urged people to receive their booster vaccine doses. People who are at risk and test positive should consider treatment options with their doctor, he said.
State officials, meanwhile, are "taking precautions, we're watching this very carefully, but (there's) nothing that's causing them great worry at this time."
"We know it's spreading across the country again, we're going to have another spike, but the good news is, because the immunity we have," Cox said, adding that vaccines and natural immunity will protect many, and the current variants do not seem as deadly as those previously seen.
Webb said hospitals are seeing relatively low hospitalization rates, similar to what they saw during the omicron wave. But the large increase in cases will lead to more hospitalizations, according to the physician.
Dr. Andrew Pavia, infectious disease specialist at Primary Children's Hospital, said the increased cases also haven't led to a rise in child hospitalizations so far.
Pavia said the current surge is being caused by subvariants of omicron. With the original omicron variant, symptoms largely affected the upper respiratory system. Health officials don't yet have enough experience with the subvariants to see how much they differ from that original variant.
But the subvariants infect people with partial immunity, including those who "just had omicron" and have had two vaccine doses, Pavia said.
Officials with the Utah Department of Health called the high case count announced Thursday a "good reminder" for people to get "up to date" on COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses. The vaccines provide protection from serious illness, the health department said, as well as the "inconvenience of missed work and other activities."
State health officials urged those who are at higher risk of serious illness due to their age or medical conditions, and those who work and live with those at risk, should consider precautions including mask wearing.
"We encourage Utahns to check the CDC Community Levels each week (this data is updated Thursday evenings) and take appropriate precautions based on their community level and their own personal situations," officials said.
