Moab Regional Hospital’s CEO says it’s becoming more difficult to find ICU beds for their patients who need them. Normal, summertime increases in ICU utilization are compounded by staffing shortages and COVID-19 patients infected with the highly contagious Delta variant. Under new CDC guidelines, wearing masks in indoor public spaces is currently recommended for everyone regardless of vaccination status in high transmission areas. But whether or not Grand County is in high transmission depends on the index you read. Plus, seven years ago, a pulse of water on the Colorado River at the U.S. Mexico border temporarily reconnected it to the Pacific Ocean.

Show Notes:

Photo: A sign outside Moab Regional Hospital encourages passers-by to get tested for COVID-19 if showing symptoms like muscle aches and shortness of breath. Moab Regional Hospital’s current seven day rolling average for people testing positive for COVID - for locals and visitors - is at 15 percent.

CDC: COVID-19 Integrated County View

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#

Utah COVID-19 Transmission Index

https://coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels/

Southeast Utah Health Department COVID-19 Data

https://www.seuhealth.com/covid-19

Southeast Utah Health Department Vaccine Data

https://www.seuhealth.com/covid-vaccine-dashboard