COVID-19 still widespread in Utah, though fewer people are hospitalized

SALT LAKE CITY – An additional 15,148 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Utah, the state’s health department reported on Saturday.

So far, 27,542 people have been fully immunized, and another 194,733 in Utah have received the first dose – meaning nearly 7% of Utahns have either started the process or are on their way.

Health officials have said at least 70% of Utahns need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to have an impact on the spread of the disease.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox tweeted Saturday saying that when he became governor, Utah vaccinated 5,000 a day and that on Friday the number rose to at least 15,000 because “our services local health authorities have stepped up their efforts ”. He said the changes included a focus on using what the state has to vaccinate as many people as possible with a first dose; also, redistribute vaccines when not being used effectively.

The state’s 13 local health departments are doing what they can to obtain the vaccine from currently eligible groups, including healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, teachers and the public school staff and Utahns aged 70 and over. And Cox gave them carte blanche to do it – “every day we provide new resources: upgrading servers, call centers, data entry and nurses,” he tweeted.

Many health districts reported full bookings through February.

Cox said the second doses of the vaccine will remain reserved for all Utahns who receive the first dose, until a week after the second dose is scheduled. At that point, he says, it will be reassigned and used as the first dose for someone else.

On Twitter on Saturday, he said that didn’t mean a person wouldn’t get their second dose, just that the state would stock up on vaccines as quickly as possible.

“From day one, I said, ‘We will use each dose within seven days. If you don’t use it, you shouldn’t have it “” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Friday, regarding the backlog of unused doses on the shelves of CVS and Walgreens pharmacies due to federal contracts. Cox said they have more than they need to meet their goal of immunizing clients and staff in long-term care facilities.

“… We just need more vaccines,” Cox tweeted on Saturday. “We are currently receiving 33,000 first doses each week … and we just delivered 50,000 doses in four days. We need more and we will be ready. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated professionals to make it happen. “

He told Cuomo that Utah’s allocation of 33,000 vaccines per week would be used up by Wednesday. “And that will happen every week until we get more,” Cox said.

Masks, social distancing and good hand hygiene will remain important even after vaccination to prevent a further increase in cases. There are signs the recent post-holiday surge is on the decline, including the drop in the number of daily cases and the lower percentage of positive tests.

The state has tested nearly 2 million people, including an increase of 10,001 since Friday.

The Utah Department of Health reported 1,771 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, along with a slight drop in the seven-day moving average percentage of positive tests – to 18.9%. A few weeks ago, the average percentage of positive daily tests was 33%, and last week it hovered above 19%.

Equally promising, there has been a significant drop in the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 across Utah. Saturday’s report says 481 are currently hospitalized, up from 488 on Friday and 529 on Thursday.

The health department has reported 11 new deaths from COVID-19 reported since Friday, including eight men and three women, from across the state. Two of the 11 reported deaths occurred before Dec. 31 and were reported Friday due to lengthy and thorough investigations into all potential COVID-19-related deaths by the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office.

A total of 1,582 people in Utah have died from the disease, adding to the more than 2 million deaths from COVID-19 worldwide and more than 415,793 in the United States, as reported by the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The new COVID-19 deaths reported on Saturday are:

• A man from Salt Lake County aged 45 to 64 who was hospitalized at the time of his death.
• A woman from Salt Lake County aged 65 to 84 who resided in a long-term care facility.
• A Washington County man aged 65 to 84 who was hospitalized.
• A Utah County woman over 85 who was hospitalized.
• A Davis County man aged 45 to 64 who was hospitalized.
• A Davis County man aged 65 to 84 who was hospitalized.
• A woman from Duchesne County between 45 and 64 who was hospitalized.
• A man from Sanpete County between 65 and 84 who was not hospitalized.
• A Utah County man over 85 who was hospitalized.
• Two men from Salt Lake County over the age of 85, one of whom was hospitalized and the other was not.

For more information on Utah’s COVID-19 response, visit coronavirus.utah.gov.