ST. GEORGE — The worldwide increase in cases of COVID-19 – which now includes President Joe Biden – has hit areas of Northern Utah more than it has locally.
But one prominent Utah doctor warned that the area south of the Toquerville pass might not be completely left out of the current wave that has seen the mutated BA.5 strain of the virus get through many who had either never had COVID or already had been infected in the last few months.
Initially, BA.5 did cause a sharp spike in Southern Utah infections in late June and the first week of July. Sewage readings of the virus in St. George very briefly saw levels not seen locally since January, which were the worst numbers of the pandemic in Southern Utah.
However, those levels quickly abated even as they were still rising in areas north of Beaver. As of Thursday, the sewage levels were decreasing further, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
When asked by St. George News if there is a reason why Southern Utah hasn’t been hit as badly as other areas of the state, Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, an infectious diseases physician with Intermountain Healthcare, said there’s no sure answer.
“I wish I could give a good, educated response to that but no,” Stenehjem said. However, he added the virus that causes the disease has been seen to leave one area unscathed while other areas face increased disease, but eventually, the disease catches up. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see it going up in St. George where a lot of people are staying inside from the heat.”
On Thursday, President Biden became the second sitting president to come down with COVID. The White House said at this point, his symptoms have been limited to a dry cough and an extremely runny nose. The President, who is vaccinated and boosted, is being treated with Paxlovid, which, along with the vaccines and the reduction in the disease’s potency, has contributed to fewer hospitalizations and deaths from the disease. That has put it more in line with a seasonal disease that can still cause death in some, like influenza, that the deadly pandemic it had been previously.
Officially, this week Utah passed the 1 million mark in the number of COVID infections since COVID-19 was first discovered, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
However, Stenejhem said that number is misleading as most people now take home tests where the results aren’t included in the official number and that the one million number was likely passed months ago.
Even so, he said the milestone was still significant.
“Two and a half years ago, I didn’t think we would be sitting with over a million tests,” Stenehjem said.
Even though the BA.5 variant has stuck to recent trends of COVID-19 by becoming more spreadable but less severe, it can still be costly as far as productivity for local workplaces and for people with the time that has to be spent at home and in quarantine.
Business entities from fast food restaurants to contractors to city governments — already dealing with a lack of positions being filled — have been seeing several of their workers out with COVID in the last few weeks.
For those who contract the virus, even when the symptoms are “mild,” there are still sleepless nights and effects that can last past the days of the first negative test.
And Stenehjem said there is another concern for those who have just “mild” symptoms: Long COVID.
“My biggest concern is for long COVID. Even if you have mild disease, you can develop long COVID,” Stenehjem said. “At this point, individuals have to determine that risk for themselves.”
But as the cycle of the virus means an infection wave followed by hospitalizations and deaths, the surge of two weeks ago now translates to St. George Regional Hospital seeing COVID patients hitting double digits for the first time in months. And after more than a month between late May and June, when there were no COVID-related deaths recorded in Southern Utah, the Utah Department of Health and Human Resources has added six deceased to the local COVID-19 death toll in the last week, which now stands at 663 people.
An official with St. George Regional Hospital said there were 13 COVID-19 patients in the hospital as of midday Thursday. While a far cry from the 90 COVID patients the hospital was treating daily in January, it’s still a change from the single-digits the facility had been seeing recently.
“ICU levels have stayed flat, but we have seen hospitalizations go up,” said Stenehjem, adding that as far as taking precautions are concerned, that is up to each individual.
“Previously when we had hospitals at capacity and ICUs fall, we had a public health focus where masking was the norm. Now the state of Utah has moved to a personal risk category where it’s up to the individual,” Stenehjem said. “We have to say, ‘What is the risk of me getting COVID? What chance do I have to transmit to high-risk individuals and what effect is it going to have on my life? People should be concerned about infection right now. That concern should be different for each individual.”
What if you test positive?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health authorities, the main symptoms to look for that may indicate a person is infected are trouble breathing, pain in the chest, trouble staying awake, high fever, low blood oxygen and/or change in skin tone. Though a person also can be infected without any symptoms – and with the current variant that is becoming more likely the case.
If a person tests positive, the CDC and Utah Department of Health recommend a person should remain isolated at home wearing a mask for at least five days from the positive test if there are no symptoms or five days and 24 hours after symptoms disappear if there are symptoms, then keep the mask on in all environments for four additional days after that.
If a person has close contact with someone positive for COVID-19, it is recommended that they should take a test five days after the contact and wear a mask for the next 10 days after the contact.
For those who do have symptoms, pills such as Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s Molnupiravirthat are available under a White House directive and are currently free of charge. The treatment can decrease by as much as 95%, according to the Federal Drug Administration, the chance of COVID-19 symptoms developing into a hospitalization or death. A doctor’s prescription is needed, though many telehealth services also offer prescriptions. The local pharmacies that have the treatments available can be found at this link.
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.
- Testing Sites
- Available treatments
- 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
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 first booster dose: Those who received Pfizer or Moderna at least five months ago. Those who received Johnson & Johnson at least two months ago. Booster shots can be of any form of COVID-19 vaccine.
- Those who can receive a second booster dose: Those who received Pfizer or Moderna at least four months ago and are 50 or older. Those ages 12 and older who received a primary vaccine and a Johnson & Johnson booster at least four months ago. Booster shots can be of any form of COVID-19 vaccine.
- The Southwest Utah Public Health Department continues walk-in appointments. 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.
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
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