The ski season that is slated to start Nov. 19 with the scheduled opening of Park City Mountain Resort will bring a flood of visitors to Summit County, along with concerns about the possibility of an increase in COVID-19 cases, similar to a spike last winter across the nation.
Even with the area’s high vaccination rate against the coronavirus — as of last week, 97% of county residents who are 12 and older and eligible to get the vaccine had gotten at least one dose and 85% were fully vaccinated against the virus — the crowds, the cold weather that keeps people inside and the delta variant add to public health worries.
The current transmission rate in Summit County was listed as high on Monday on the Health Department’s COVID-19 dashboard.
“We’re always concerned about surges whether they’re related to ski season or not, but as we move indoors, there’s always the risk of exposure,” Summit County Health Director Phil Bondurant said. “That’s the world that we live in now. There’s risk of coming down with COVID whether you’re vaccinated or not.”
As of Monday, there had been 564,576 confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases in Utah and 3,300 deaths from the virus, according to state data.
Summit County has seen 6,966 cases and 19 deaths.
The Summit County Health Department is working to help people understand their risks so they can decide what’s best for them and their family, Bondurant said. That effort includes providing information about measures to mitigate transmission of COVID, including social distancing, hand washing, wearing masks indoors — and, especially, getting vaccinated.
Vaccinated individuals can have a breakthrough case but their symptoms generally are fairly mild, according to Bondurant.
“We’re never going to be able to eliminate cases but we can definitely minimize the number of people that end up in a hospital and we can minimize the number of people that die of COVID through vaccination efforts,” he said.
A chart on the Summit County COVID-19 dashboard demonstrates the difference that getting the vaccine can make, Bondurant said. The line representing the seven-day case rate of vaccinated people is represented in an almost flat line hovering around zero, while the unvaccinated line is dotted with significant spikes.
The dashboard also says that since Feb. 1, unvaccinated Utahns have had a 7.5 times greater risk of being hospitalized than vaccinated people and an 8.8 times greater risk of dying from COVID.
“It gives some perspective as to why public health, especially public health here in Summit County, is leaning so heavily toward vaccination,” Bondurant said. “It’s never too late to be vaccinated.”
Federal health authorities on Nov. 2 authorized the use of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 to include children who are 5- to 11-years-old, which increases the size of the eligible population and reduces the percentage of vaccinated people in the county’s data. Bondurant believes that percentage will rise back in Summit County to its previous level quickly.
The Summit County Health Department is giving children their first dose this week. Pre-registrations can be made at vacc.me/511. There is also a vaccine hotline, which can be reached 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 435-243-5320.
Ski resorts are taking steps to guard against the spread of coronavirus. Each sets its own protocols and guests should check the resort’s website for the rules.
Some resorts are requiring masks indoors in restaurants (except when eating and drinking), lodging properties, restrooms, retail and rental locations and on buses. Guests might have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to dine at some indoor, cafeteria-style restaurants. At some resorts, staff members must be vaccinated or provide proof of negative COVID-19 test results.
Alison Palmintere, director of communications for Ski Utah, a nonprofit that promotes the state’s ski and snowboard industry, said skiing is one of the safest ways to socialize outside and outdoor masks largely won’t be mandated at resorts. However, everyone should be prepared wherever they go, she said.
“We’re telling people it’s best to keep a mask in your back pocket in case it’s required,” Palmintere said.