ST. GEORGE — As uncertainty continues over the potential of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the main hospital in Southern Utah once again found itself with the equivalent of a “no vacancy” sign this week.
Officials with St. George Regional Hospital confirmed Tuesday, the hospital was at 100% capacity with the intensive care unit having 41 patients in what is usually a 32-bed facility.
That said, the actual number of local residents in the hospital with COVID-19 was down around 20% as of Thursday according to the Utah Department of Health – from 48 to 38. There were 61 COVID-19 patients overall in the regional hospital, with 28 in the ICU that is at 128.1% capacity.
Intermountain Healthcare, the parent company of the hospital, has previously reported that typically, about 85% of the COVID patients in the hospital and 90% in the ICU are unvaccinated.
A new study by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and released by the Centers for Disease Control last week said that ICU capacities at 75% result in a substantial increase in the number of deaths that exceed the numbers that would be expected, and an ICU capacity above 100% increases excess deaths by another 600%.
Deaths locally continue to be at one of the higher rates of the pandemic, with 15 Southern Utah residents added by the Utah Department of Health to the list of COVID-19 deaths in the last week.
One change this week is those deceased have skewered back to the older age demographic compared to past weeks, with all but two of the 15 above 64 years old.
As a subject, the COVID-19 pandemic came up little during the Southwest Utah Public Health Board meeting Wednesday at the Best Western Abbey Inn in St. George.
Dr. David Blodgett, director of the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, commented about the current infection rate locally.
“We’ve had a little increase in cases but not much two weeks after Thanksgiving,” Blodgett told the board.
Infections in Southern Utah are up 27.3% this week after drops of around 4% in each of the two previous weeks, according to the Utah Department of Health. An assistant said Blodgett would be unable to speak with St. George News after the meeting.
Blodgett also complimented the department employees who have been administering COVID-19 vaccines for nearly a year now. At the height of vaccinations, Blodgett said it had 50 extra staff members to help administer vaccines but it is now down to 15.
“We’ve brought in every vaccinator we can find,” Blodgett said. “We have the best nurses. When you give thousands of shots, you don’t feel it.”
That was a sentiment shared by Southwest Utah Public Health Board member and Washington County Commissioner Gil Almquist.
“I didn’t feel anything,” Almquist said of his vaccination shots.
Blodgett estimates Southwest Utah Public Health Department workers have administered 130,000 shots, and the Utah Department of Health says that as of Thursday there have been 393,842 doses provided to Southern Utah residents.
Even so, a majority of local residents remain without full vaccination. According to the Utah Department of Health, 44.4% of Southern Utah residents are fully vaccinated nearly a year after COVID-19 vaccinations began.
On Thursday, the CDC and the Utah Department of Health lowered the minimum age for people to receive a COVID-19 booster shot from 18 to 16.
“Booster doses give an extra layer of protection against COVID-19,” state epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said in a statement. “As we move into the winter months, we encourage everyone who is eligible to get a booster dose to go get their shot so that they can have a safe holiday season.”
While there continues to be uncertainty over the three-week-old omicron variant, one certainty that is developing according to the World Health Organization and media reports is having a booster shot gives the best protection against it. The new variant is more likely to infect those who are vaccinated without a booster and even more likely to infect those who are unvaccinated and have already had COVID-19.
After the first omicron infection in Utah was detected last Friday in Southern Utah, there has been one more since in an unspecified part of the state, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Still a question mark – the most pivotal one as far as the crowded hospitals are concerned – is whether omicron causes more severe illness or not. While the CDC has noted some encouraging signs that it may result in mild infections, they caution it is still too early to say it will not be prone to more hospitalizations and deaths than the delta variant.
St. George News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this story.
Southern Utah coronavirus count (as of Thursday, according to Utah Department of Health)
Positive COVID-19 tests: 44,687 (7-day average of 99.86 per day, up 27.3% in last week)
Active cases: 1,689 (steady since Dec. 2)
- Washington County (High in Transmission Index): 481.85 per 100K rate in 14 days, rising since Dec. 2)
- Iron County (High): 468.19, falling
- Kane County (Moderate): 202.17, steady
- Garfield County (Low): 277.23, rising
- Beaver County (High): 428.93, rising
Hospitalized: 38 (falling)
Deaths: 468 (15 since Dec. 2)
New infections per day in Southern Utah:
- Friday (Dec. 3): 119
- Saturday (Dec. 4): 104
- Sunday (Dec. 5): 104
- Monday (Dec. 6): 66
- Tuesday (Dec. 7): 99
- Wednesday (Dec. 8): 106
- Thursday (Dec. 9): 101
Current Utah seven-day average: 1,332 (rising)
Fully vaccinated in Southern Utah: 116,164 (44.4% fully vaccinated, +0.04% since Dec. 2)
- St. George: 47.9% fully vaccinated (+0.42%)
- Cedar City: 40.05% (+0.52%)
- Washington City: 43.42% (+0.36%)
- Ivins/Santa Clara: 51.16% (+0.38%)
- Hurricane/LaVerkin: 38.03% (+0.26%)
- Enterprise/Veyo/Springdale/Hildale: 43.86% (+0.30%)
- Beaver/Garfield/Kane counties: 43.51% (+0.34%)
Southern Utah schools active COVID-19 infections (as of Thursday, according to Utah Department of Health)
NOTE: Utah Department of Health currently provides only ranges of the number of infections in each district, rather than exact figures. Figures may be an overall undercount as not all infections among students are reported to the state.
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- Washington County School District: 41 to 131 (falling since Dec. 2)
- Iron County School District: 9 to 45 (falling)
- Kane County School District: 1-4 (steady)
- Garfield County School District: 1-4 (falling)
- Beaver County School District: 1-4 (steady)
- Southwest Utah Charter Schools: 13-29 (steady)
- Southwest Utah Private Schools: 1-4 (rising)
Schools in yellow (In danger of moving to test-to-stay): None
Schools in red (Students/staff must test negative to attend): None
Top 5 schools: Vista School (Southwest Utah Charter) 9 active infections, Hurricane High (Washington) 6, Desert Hills Middle (Washington) 5, several others at 1-4.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine
- Those who can currently get the first dose of the vaccine: Everyone ages 5 and over. Those 5-18 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine. Use vaccinefinder.org to find clinics that have the Pfizer vaccine.
- Those who can receive the second dose: Those who received their first injection 28 days or more before the appointment time.
- Those who can receive a booster dose: Those who received Pfizer or Moderna at least six months ago and are 16 or older.
- Those who received Johnson & Johnson at least two months ago and are 18 or older. Booster shots can be of any form of COVID-19 vaccine.
- The Southwest Utah Public Health Department remains online appointment only. Some pharmacies and stores are offering walk-up appointments. Check the links below before going.
- Must wear a short-sleeve shirt at appointment and should have a personal ID.
- Vaccines are free of charge.
Washington County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department St. George office, 620 S. 400 East, St George
For hours and more information: Click here
Iron County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Cedar City office, 260 DL Sargent Dr., Cedar City, 84721.
For hours and more information: Click here
Kane County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Kanab office, 445 N. Main St., Kanab.
For hours and more information: Click here
Garfield County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Panguitch office, 601 Center St., Panguitch.
For hours and more information: Click here
Beaver County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Beaver Office, 75 1175 North, Beaver.
For hours and more information: Click here
St. George Regional Hospital/Intermountain Healthcare:
Where: 400 East Campus St. George Regional Hospital, 544 S. 400 East, St. George.
Reservations: Click to register
FourPoints Health:
Where: Various locations.
For hours and more information:: Click here
Revere Health:
Where: Revere Health Campus, 2825 E. Mall Drive, St. George.
Reservations: Call (435) 673-6131 to determine if the vaccine is available.
Albertsons:
Where: 745 N Dixie Dr in St. George and 915 Red Cliffs Dr. in Washington City.
Reservations: Click to register
Harmons:
Where: 1189 E. 700 South in St. George and 3520 Pioneer Parkway in Santa Clara.
Reservations: Click to register
Lin’s Marketplace:
Where: 1930 W. Sunset Blvd. and 2928 E. Mall Drive in St. George, 1120 State St. in Hurricane and 150 N Main St. in Cedar City.
Reservations: Click to register
Smith’s Food and Drug:
Where: 20 N. Bluff St. and 565 S. Mall Drive in St. George and 633 S. Main St. in Cedar City.
Reservations: Click to register
Target:
Where: 275 S River Rd. in St. George.
Reservations: Click to register
Walmart:
Where: 2610 Pioneer Rd. in St. George, 625 W. Telegraph St. in Washington City, 180 N. 3400 West in Hurricane and 1330 S. Providence Center Dr. in Cedar City.
Reservations: Click to register
Family pharmacies:
Where: Several locations
Reservations: Use vaccinefinder.org to find a location near you
COVID-19 information resources
St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.
Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- World Health Organization
- Utah Department of Health
- Safe Southern Utah
- Información sobre coronavirus en español
- Intermountain Healthcare
- To Donate and Volunteer to Help
- Utah COVID-19 Long Haulers
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