Here are some COVID-19 numbers for Utah (numbers from the Utah Department of Health dashboard). Our death rate is about 0.5% of all confirmed cases. That means for every 1,000 cases of confirmed COVID-19, five people will die. For every 3,000 cases, 15 people will die. For every 5,000 cases 25 people will die.
Deaths follow about three to four weeks after diagnosis. Therefore, between Dec. 11 and Dec. 18, there will be about 92 deaths from the 18,403 cases diagnosed from the week ending Nov. 20.
God only knows how many cases of COVID-19 will be diagnosed following Thanksgiving week. We won’t know until around Dec. 4 through Dec. 11. Those deaths will likely be happening about Dec. 25 to Jan. 1. About 63% will be men and about 76% will be 65 or more years old. Merry Christmas? Happy New Year? I think not.
Wear the damn masks. Physically distance. Wash hands and surfaces. Stay home. That or plan on many funerals that you will be too sick to attend. Unless of course you want to get rid of Grandpa.
Ann Kamp, Salt Lake City