On November 3rd, 2022, DHHS transitioned to utilizing hospital capacity data reported by the hospitals directly to the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) instead of hospital capacity data reported by the hospitals to DHHS. The HHS data was backfilled to September 7th, 2022. Hospitals report data more consistently to the HHS data stream, and the HHS data is comparable to other hospital capacity data nationwide. There will be slight shifts in trends in hospital capacity due to this transition. Due to differences in reporting systems, these numbers should not be compared with the cumulative hospitalization data identified through public health investigations.
Note about ICU Utilization: DHHS receives reports about the total number of available ICU beds in the state. However, this reporting does not reflect the number of staffed beds able to care for patients. At about 69% overall ICU utilization, ICUs in Utah’s major hospitals with the ability to provide best care for COVID-19 patients begin to reach staffing capacity. Seventy-two percent use among all hospitals and 77% in Referral Center hospitals creates major strains on the healthcare system. When 85% capacity is reached, Utah will be functionally out of staffed ICU beds, indicating an overwhelmed hospital system.
| COVID-19 Hospital Survey Data | |
|---|---|
| Number of patients currently hospitalized for confirmed COVID-19 | 60 |
| Number of patients in ICU for confirmed COVID-19 | 13 |
| Patients currently hospitalized as suspect COVID-19 | 2 |
| Percent of all non-ICU Beds Occupied | 63.3% |
| Percent of all ICU Beds Occupied | 60% (300/500) |
| Percent of Referral Center ICU Beds Occupied | 62.1% (264/425) |
| Facilities using prior day data | 35/49 |
Referral Centers are the 16 hospitals in Utah with the capability to provide the best care for patients with COVID-19. Because most patients are transferred to these facilities, their utilization is the best reflection of the true hospital capacity in Utah when looking at ICU beds.
Hospitalizations included below represent the total number of cases that have been admitted to hospitals. This count does not represent the number of COVID-19 cases currently in the hospital. Hospitalization data is collected from patient interviews and medical chart abstractions by local health departments (LHDs). While DHHS and LHDs capture most hospitalizations through provider reporting, some patients may be hospitalized after the case was investigated by an LHD and therefore not included in this count. Hospitalizations by age may not sum to total hospitalizations because some cases are initially reported without complete age data. Due to differences in reporting systems, these numbers should not be compared with the daily hospitalization data collected through hospital reporting.
The table below presents a variety of summary statistics about hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 in Utah. The pre-existing conditions included are those on the “Risk Factors” tab (cardiovascular, chronic pulmonary, diabetes, immunocompromised, chronic kidney, chronic liver, neurological, current smoking, former smoking, and other).
High Risk: at least 65 years of age and/or having at least one pre-existing condition.
| Hospitalization | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 44324 | 5.4% |
| No | 772479 | 94.6% |
| Under Investigation | 297078 | — |
| ICU | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 5678 | 0.7% |
| No | 788318 | 99.3% |
| Under Investigation | 319885 | — |
| Intubated/Ventilator Use | Case Count | % of Investigated Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1859 | 3.7% |
| No | 48226 | 96.3% |
| Under Investigation | 1063796 | — |
One way to look at how quickly COVID-19 is spreading in Utah is the number of new hospital admissions every day. Hospitalizations are less dependent on testing than case counts. Admission dates are obtained through public health investigations and not all new hospitalization dates are reported if a case had previously been investigated by public health. The plot below shows the number of laboratory confirmed cases reported by admission date (blue bars).
The below table presents a variety of summary statistics about deaths associated with COVID-19 in Utah. The pre-existing conditions included are those on the “Risk Factors” tab (cardiovascular, chronic pulmonary, diabetes, immunocompromised, chronic kidney, chronic liver, neurological, current smoking, former smoking, and other).
High Risk: at least 65 years of age and/or having at least one pre-existing condition.
COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. However, no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated and boosted people who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from COVID-19. These are called “breakthrough cases.” Fortunately, there is evidence that vaccination make breakthrough cases less severe and people who are fully vaccinated may be less likely to spread the disease to others. Here we have mortality estimates split into three mutually-exclusive categories: unvaccinated, breakthrough, and boosted.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services determines vaccine status for cases using two methods: by automatically linking known cases to vaccination records reported into the Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIIS), and through self-report by asking interviewed cases if they have been fully vaccinated. Breakthrough cases may be under-represented if there is incomplete or incorrect data to link a person to their USIIS record, or if case investigators are unable to conduct an interview.
Data for this report were accessed on November 02, 2023 12:04 PM.