Deaths from COVID-19 in Utah have reached 1,422; Biden official says it will ‘get worse’

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah on Tuesday announced 2,146 more cases of COVID-19 and 26 more deaths from the virus, as an adviser to President-elect Joe Biden warned the Utahns that the worst days of the deadly pandemic were yet to be come.

The latest state figures show an increase of 11,991 Utahns tested since Monday, with seven-day moving averages for positive tests now at 2,946 per day and 29.3% for the percentage of positive lab tests.

In total, more than 1.84 million Utahns have been tested since the start of the pandemic last March.

On the same day, vaccinations began for teachers and school staff in Utah, a daily increase of 6,983 vaccinations was reported, bringing the total number of doses distributed in the state since the arrival of the first doses to the mid-December at 110530, according to a Utah Department of Health Survey.

In Farmington, Davis School District employees lined up in their cars at a one-day drive-thru vaccination clinic at the Legacy Events Center. For Chera Fernelius, a second year English teacher at Bountiful High School, the opportunity to take a photo “was a sign of respect to educators that we don’t think we had for a while.”

Teachers and school staff were placed right behind frontline hospitals and other healthcare workers, as well as residents and employees of long-term care facilities for the vaccine by former Governor Gary Herbert, a move that Fernelius says will help protect his high-risk parents. who take care of her three children several days a week.

“I just feel more comfortable,” said the part-time teacher, 41, who has mild asthma, after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. “It’s just a huge relief. I feel safer in the classroom. There is a protective layer in addition to a mask. “

Gov. Spencer Cox, who laid out plans to speed up vaccinations in the state soon after taking office, called on older Utahns and those with health conditions that put them at risk of contracting the virus .

Next week, Utahns 70 and older will receive their turn to be vaccinated, and health districts statewide, including Salt Lake County, are expected to start scheduling appointments as early as Wednesday, online and by telephone.

A member of Biden’s COVID-19 task force, Dr Julie Morita, informed the Utahns at a virtual healthcare conference that they should always wear masks, socialize and take other precautions against the spread of the deadly virus even if vaccines were administered in the state.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

“I wish there was just one thing we could all do, the quick fix that would take care of everyone, but it really isn’t. So it’s really important to do all of these things and get vaccinated, ”Morita said in an opening speech at the Utah Health Policy Project’s annual Health Care Solutions for Utahns conference.

Morita, a former Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner who is now executive vice president of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest public health philanthropy, said the toughest times in the battle against coronavirus are yet to come.

“When it comes to hospitalization and death rates, we have to be honest. Things will get worse before they get better. And the pandemic is as serious as it has ever been. Already, more than 22 million people have been infected “nationwide,” she said, noting that Utah is currently among the states with the highest rates of infection and death.

Biden “will do everything possible to change the course of the pandemic,” Morita said, citing the president-elect’s promise to administer 100 million doses of the vaccine in its first 100 days, releasing all available supplies once it is ‘he takes office on January 20. rather than withholding the second doses.

She said she was convinced that enough vaccine can be produced to ensure that no one misses a second “timely” dose, recommended three to four weeks after the first, and said a “massive campaign” will be launched to encourage vaccinations.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Outgoing President Donald Trump broke his promise to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of the year, Morita said. Earlier this week, 9 million of the 25 million doses delivered to states had been administered.

Later on Tuesday, Trump administration officials announced the release of second doses and urged states to extend vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older as well as those with underlying health conditions. . In addition, vaccine allocations to states will soon be based on the number of elderly residents and the timing of immunizations.

Even though vaccinations are essential to bring the pandemic under control, Morita said: “The reality is that vaccines are limited in supply, so anyone who wants a vaccine or should be vaccinated will not be able to get it right away. “. high risk people should be given priority, access should be opened as more doses become available.

New Democratic administration sends COVID-19 funding package to Congress that will also include money for personal protective equipment so most schools can safely reopen, as well as money to ramp up testing , while asking all Americans to wear masks during those first 100. days, Morita said.

There are now 560 people hospitalized with the virus in Utah, with the total number of hospitalizations in the state reaching 12,059. The death toll in Utah has reached 1,422 with the report of 26 new deaths, of which 15 have occurred before December 22.

The latest reported deaths are:

• Three women from Utah County, all aged 65 to 84, and all residents of a long-term care facility.

• Three women from Salt Lake County, all 85 years old, a resident of a long-term care facility and two others who were hospitalized upon their deaths.

• A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 45 to 64, hospitalized at the time of her death.

• Two women from Salt Lake County between the ages of 65 and 84, one living in a long-term care facility and the other not hospitalized at her death.

• Three men from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, including one resident in a long-term care facility and two others in hospital.

• A man from Salt Lake County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.

• A man from Weber County, over 85, not hospitalized.

• Two women from Weber County, one aged 65 to 84 and one over 85, both residents of a long-term care facility.

• A woman from Utah County, over 85, resident in a long-term care facility.

• Two women from Davis County, one aged 65 to 84 and one over 85, both residents of a long-term care facility.

• A man from Davis County, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.

• A Millard County woman, 45-64 years old, resident in a long-term care facility.

• A woman from Washington County, over 85, not hospitalized.

• A man from Washington County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.

• A man from Tooele County, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.

• A man from Iron County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.

• A man from Cache County, over 85, hospitalized.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News