A Wasatch County woman between the ages of 45 and 64 has died of COVID. The Health Department confirmed the woman was unvaccinated and in the hospital when she died. She also had an underlying health condition.
That brings the number of deaths from the virus in Wasatch County to 32.
Summit County has recorded 19 fatalities since the pandemic began.
Wednesday’s total number of new COVID cases in Utah was 10,220. That’s more than 400 above Tuesday’s count, which at 9813 was a short-lived record-setting high of its own. Wasatch County recorded 154 new cases Wednesday, also a record high. Summit County recorded 217 new cases.
Health experts say the current cases are around 90% the omicron variant, which is less fatal but more transmissible than earlier variants.
Though omicron has resulted in far fewer fatalities than the world saw during the early stage of the pandemic, the sheer numbers of people getting sick is overwhelming schools, hospitals, employers and providers of all kinds of basic services.
Health officials in Utah expect the omicron surge to peak here around the third week of January. Summit County health officials said the peak may arrive slightly earlier locally because high rates of tourism push some areas ahead of the curve.