Utah’s daily COVID-19 cases reach a record 7,247

Medical workers test people for COVID-19 outside of the Draper Senior Center in Draper on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. A stunning 7,247 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday in Utah as the extremely transmissible omicron variant continues to rage through the state. | Mengshin Lin, Deseret News

Health department expects cases to remain high as omicron rages

A stunning 7,247 new COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday in Utah as the extremely transmissible omicron variant continues to rage through the state.

The count far exceeds the daily record of 4,706 cases set on Dec. 30, 2020, and is more than the total number of cases reported in the first 68 days of the pandemic, according to the Utah Department of Health. Case counts have been surging over the past few days but had not yet reached the record.

“Unfortunately, we can expect numbers this high and possibly higher for the next few weeks as Omicron sweeps through our community,” state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said in a statement that described the total as “by far, the single highest daily case count we have seen during the pandemic.”

Nolen urged Utahns to protect themselves against the new variant first identified in South Africa around Thanksgiving. Utah’s first omicron case was announced in early December and the variant was soon believed to be responsible for the majority of the state’s COVID-19 cases.

Mengshin Lin, Deseret News

People in a long line of cars wait to get tested for COVID-19 outside of the Draper Senior Center in Draper as omicron cases surge on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.

“We have the tools to combat Omicron, but they don’t work if people won’t use them. If, for whatever reason, you have been putting off vaccination or getting boosted, it is clearly time for you to act. Vaccinations and boosters have been shown to reduce cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” Nolen said.

She called getting the initial vaccinations against the virus — two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson — along with booster shots, “the most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.

“Our hospitals are already stretched well beyond their capacity and are canceling procedures. Please, go get your shot! Think about your plans and minimize your exposure to others and when you can’t, put on that mask!” she said.

The spike in cases have jammed testing sites along the Wasatch Front, causing some to distribute home test kits to those who want to avoid long waits.

This story will be updated.

Utah’s daily COVID-19 cases reach a record 7,247
Source: Gabriella Pinoys