According to Wasatch County Health Department Epidemiologist Chris Smoot, the man was between 65 and 84 years old. He was not vaccinated and was in the hospital with multiple underlying conditions when he died. That brings the number of COVID-caused deaths in Wasatch County to 33 since the start of the pandemic.
The Utah Department of Health also reported 12,990 new statewide cases of COVID Thursday.
Six other Utahns have died of COVID since Wednesday, and the state is still grappling with unprecedented numbers of infected people. Hospitalizations are rising and the state has reported an extreme scarcity of treatments available.
Locally, Summit County reported 225 new cases on Thursday and two new hospitalizations. Wasatch County had 161 new cases and one new hospitalization.
Of the new cases statewide, 3,000 were in school-aged children.
Health officials have predicted Utah’s peak of the current surge in cases will occur the second to third week in January. And they continue to emphasize that vaccines and booster shots will reduce chances of getting sick, reduce the severity of omicron if people do get sick, and help lessen strain on medical services.
