SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns still must continue taking the same precautions against spreading COVID-19 after they are vaccinated against the deadly virus, health officials said even as a post-holiday surge in cases may be winding down.
Tuesday, the Utah Department of Health reported 1,302 new coronavirus cases and seven additional deaths. Another 4,961 people have been tested in the state, and the rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 2,033 per day, and 19.9% for percent of positive laboratory tests. There are 573 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19
“We are going to really need as a community to continue to pull together and finish strong here. That will define what happens in the hospitals and in the ICU, how we are able to respond during the next six weeks as we come out of this winter period,” said Dr. Brandon Webb, an infectious diseases physician at Intermountain Healthcare.
Last week’s detection in Utah of a new, faster-spreading variant of the virus that federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning could become the dominant strain in the United States by March is seen as adding to to the need to keep wearing masks, maintaining social distance and taking other steps to help slow transmission.
“I think that’s top of mind and it should be,” Webb said during a virtual news conference. “It’s concerning. And it’s a wake-up call that we need to be especially vigilant and effective in doing the things that we know work to very rapidly bring down the community transmission rates.”
Vaccinations, underway across the state now for Utahns 70 and older as well as for health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, emergency services personnel, first responders, and schoolteachers and staff, offer 95% protection to the recipient after two doses but may not prevent transmission to others.
While health officials are urging Utahns to get vaccinated, they stressed the need to keep that in mind. As of Tuesday, Utah reported a total of 172,603 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, an increase of 3,695 over Monday’s numbers.
“As a grandparent I can relate to the strong desire to visit grandchildren and feel that there’s safety,” Dr. Mark Supiano, University of Utah Health geriatrics division chief, said during an earlier virtual news conference. But he said it’s not yet known whether he can spread COVID-19 even after recently receiving a second dose.
“The vaccine only protects me or the person that’s received the vaccine,” Supiano said.
University of Utah Health Division of Infectious Diseases associate professor Dr. Emily Spivak suggested there’s even more to be worried about after getting just the first dose.
“The whole point of the second dose is to boost the sort of the amount of antibody and the amount of immunity that you have and hopefully the length. We just don’t even know how long the protection is after two doses,” Spivak said, describing the first dose as only 50% to 55% effective.
Webb said based on the data available at this point, the expectation is that vaccinations should give at least nine months to a year of immunity, but that could vary depending on the immune health of recipients. He said the top priority is to ensure as many people as possible get a first round of the vaccine.
Spivak said she’s seen people get infected with COVID-19 after their first dose of the vaccine.
“Whether that was because they let their guard down, hard to know. But I would definitely really caution people between the first and second dose, to really presume that you have no protection, probably. You want to be careful even after the second dose until we can get the whole population vaccinated,” she said.
That includes wearing a mask around anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated, Spivak said.
Utah’s death toll reached 1,500 Monday, and seven more were reported Tuesday:
• A Salt Lake County woman, older than 85, long-term care facility resident.
• A Salt Lake County woman, between 45 and 64, hospitalized at time of death.
• A Salt Lake County man, between 65 and 84, long-term care facility resident.
• A Utah County man, between 65 and 84, hospitalized at time of death.
• A Utah County man, between 65 and 84, hospitalized at time of death.
• A Utah County man, between 45 and 64, hospitalized at time of death.
• A Millard County man, between 65 and 84, hospitalized at time of death.
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3oZFdgn
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