Omicron variant raising concerns with state health officials

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KDXU) - Leaders at the Utah Department of Health say cases are rising again. Officials believe it's because of the Omicron variant.

The department is reporting Omicron is responsible for 65% of cases right now in the state.

Officials say they need to do more genetic sequencing this week, with the Utah Public Health Laboratory and Intermountain Healthcare, to confirm that number.

However just last week, officials reported that Omicron was responsible for about 30% of the COVID-19 cases in Utah.

According to the Utah Department of Health, more than 16 Utahns died over the Christmas holiday due to complications related to COVID-19.

The state is reporting 4,607 new cases of the virus for Thursday through Sunday and a total of 3,770 deaths from complications related to the virus in Utah.