Utah's Weird Covid-19 Stats
9 May, 2020Last revised 16 May, 2020
Utah is somewhat of an anomaly when it comes to Covid-19. If you just look at the number of cases we have (at time of writing), it seems about inline with what we see in other states with similar populations.
| State | Total Cases | Total Deaths | Cases/1M | Deaths/1M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9,486 | 388 | 1,935 | 79 |
| North Dakota | 1,464 | 35 | 1,921 | 46 |
| Minnesota | 10,790 | 558 | 1,913 | 99 |
| Utah | 6,103 | 66 | 1,904 | 21 |
| Florida | 40,001 | 1,716 | 1,862 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | 9,590 | 384 | 1,647 | 66 |
| USA | 1,341,281 | 79,823 | 4,052 | 241 |
I got the above table by sorting data from the Covid-19 tracker on World Meter by Total Cases/1M population. Utah's total death count is incredibly low for how many confirmed cases it has. A mere 66 deaths out of 6,103 cases. If you look at the ratio of deaths to cases of other states with similar incidence of Covid-19, the numbers are quite a bit higher. The likelihood of Covid-19 killing a Utahn seems to be much lower than most other states.
In fact sorting the data from World Meter by Deaths/1M, Utah is only higher than Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.
| State | Total Cases | Total Deaths | Cases/1M | Deaths/1M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1,335 | 53 | 745 | 30 |
| Arkansas | 3,747 | 88 | 1,242 | 29 |
| Utah | 6,103 | 66 | 1,904 | 21 |
| Montana | 458 | 16 | 429 | 15 |
| Alaska | 377 | 10 | 515 | 14 |
| Wyoming | 644 | 7 | 1,113 | 12 |
| Hawaii | 629 | 17 | 444 | 12 |
| USA | 1,341,281 | 79,823 | 4,052 | 241 |
So why is Covid-19 having a muted affect in Utah? I don't know for sure, but I have a hunch Mormons are to blame. Utah has the lowest rate of smoking in the nation. It also has the lowest rate of alcohol usage and the youngest median age nationally. It seems like Utahns are just by and large a healthier population, which could definitely be contributing to the lower rate of death in the state.
This is by no means meant to cast any doubt on the dire situation we are in though. Just because Utah is weathering this well now does not mean it always will. As the state opens the economy, and the weather warms, there could be more chances for exposure. Our hospitals may not currently be overwhelmed, but there is no guarantee of that in the future. Stay home when possible. Wear a mask. Be safe, and be considerate of your fellow Utahns.