Utah at heightened risk of COVID outbreaks amid vaccine confusion
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Utah is one of the states most at risk of COVID-19 outbreaks, based on the virus' presence in wastewater, the CDC reports.
State of play: The "stratus" variant and other versions of the virus are circulating nationally, with "very high" wastewater levels in Utah, Texas, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii as of early August.
Threat level: The annual fall spike comes as the Trump administration's revised vaccine policies prompt confusion among parents and objections from doctors, Axios' Tina Reed reports.
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unilaterally eliminated healthy children and pregnant women from the CDC's COVID vaccine recommendations in May, likely making it harder for those patients to get boosters covered by insurance.
By the numbers: Of 35 wastewater monitoring locations in Utah, 20 showed "elevated" virus levels as of Thursday, according to the state health department. Those are overwhelmingly in the Wasatch Front's population centers.
- Another 13 were on "watch" status, with four of those sites showing rising concentrations of the virus.
Reality check: Levels at most sites are still lower than they were in August 2024.
What they're saying: "If you see increased wastewater viral activity levels, it might indicate that there is a higher risk of infection," the CDC says.
- As of Aug. 12, the CDC said COVID infections "are growing or likely growing" in the majority of states.
Zoom in: The XFG variant, also known as "stratus," accounted for 65% of the viral activity detected in wastewater nationwide as of Aug. 9, according to CDC trends.
- It was the dominant variant at most Utah sites as of late July, per the CDC's most recent local data.
What to know: There's no evidence that the XFG variant causes more serious symptoms than other variants, according to a June report by the World Health Organization.
- Some reports suggest hoarseness might be a specific COVID-19 symptom related to the variant, but it's unclear.
- This year's vaccine appears to be effective against "symptomatic and severe disease" from XFG, the WHO reported.