Unvaccinated people account for about 85% of COVID-19 cases

Dr. Emily Spivak (left) and Dr. Stephen Goldstein, doctors at the University of Utah, give an update on COVID-19. Photo: University of Utah Health

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health reported 1,585 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, August 25.

374 of those cases are school-aged children (ages 5-18).

The 14-day case count in Summit County is 158.

University of Utah Health held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the current state of the virus in Utah.

95 percent of new cases are due to the delta variant in both Utah and the entire country, said Dr. Emily Spivak, an associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases.

She said the delta variant is more contagious, and some research suggests it may cause more severe effects.

She also noted that 85 percent of cases are in unvaccinated people

“We’re dealing with a virus now that is much more transmissible,” said Dr. Stephen Goldstein, a postdoctoral researcher in evolutionary virology. “[The virus] can spread much more quickly through the unvaccinated population than we saw previously.”

Goldstein highlighted that the delta variant is likely not the last coronavirus variant we will see. He said the best way to combat new variants is through aggressive vaccination.

Dr. Spivak said she is very concerned about younger school-age children. Given the lenient mask requirements at schools around the state, she expects to see cases in that age group rise.

She said there is a chance an FDA-approved children’s vaccine will become available, but likely not until January.

86 percent of individuals age 18 or older in Summit County are fully vaccinated. In the entire state of Utah, that figure is 61.3 percent. In the entire United States, it is 63 percent.

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”

You can find where to get a vaccine in Summit County here.

For the rest of Utah, click here.