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An infectious disease physician at Intermountain Healthcare estimates that almost a third of Utahns have immunity to the COVID-19 virus, but he warns that this is not the time to decrease mask use and other precautions too quickly.
Dr. Brandon Webb said that among the more than half a million Utahns who received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and the “thousands of others” who contracted and recovered from COVID-19, “It is reasonable to estimate that our current herd immunity … is around 30%, maybe a little more. “
This, he said, “is fantastic. And we hope to see that number continue to grow. But it is still not enough to fully pass the baton. “
The “wisest course of action” is to “do a staged reopening” of the state, he said, warning against lifting restrictions and disposing of masks too quickly.
“We are still in a race between vaccination and variants,” said Webb. “It is important to remember that the virus is just a machine … whose sole purpose is to survive by infecting other people. And it will continue to do so as long as there are susceptible individuals in the population. He doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t care about politics. It doesn’t matter that we are all so tired of these precautions. “
Only when the number of vaccinated Utahns grows will the state “be able to safely pass the baton on the things we are doing for our immunity. And now, we’re not there yet, ”he said.
“So it is important,” said Webb, “that we continue to follow the social restrictions and precautions that have been established by the Department of Health and the governor’s office.”
[Read more: Why does Utah rank as the one of slowest states at vaccinating residents against COVID-19?]
On Friday, for the 15th consecutive day, the Utah Department of Health reported fewer than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. The average number per day since February 18 is 634.
The state also reported five more deaths, one of which occurred before February 12 and was only recently identified as related to the coronavirus.
Vaccine doses administered the previous day / total doses administered • 31,411 / 816,934.
Fully vaccinated Utahns • 291,003.
Cases reported the previous day • 549
Deaths reported the day before • Five.
Cache County reported two deaths – a man and a woman between the ages of 65 and 84.
Three other counties reported a death, all aged 65 to 84: a man in Salt Lake County and women from Utah and Weber counties.
Hospitalizations reported the previous day • 203. It is the same as on Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized, 85 are in intensive care units – two less than Thursday.
Tests reported the day before • 6,601 people were tested for the first time. A total of 16,934 people were tested.
[Read more: Exclusive: TestUtah’s COVID-19 testing costs the state more than other sites, analysis shows]
Percentage of positive tests • In the original state method, the rate is 8.3%. This is less than the 9.8% seven-day average.
His new method counts all test results, including repeated tests from the same individual. Friday’s rate is now at 3.2%, lower than the seven-day average of 4.6%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 373,868 cases; 1,970 deaths; 14,841 hospitalizations; 2,236,642 people tested.
On Friday, the University of Utah Health announced that it was opening the registration for COVID-19 vaccinations for any US patient aged 50 or older, following the new eligibility guidelines set out on Thursday by Governor Spencer Cox.
Previously, U. Health examined its electronic records and invited existing patients who were eligible to receive the vaccine to make an appointment.
According to Kavish Choudhary, senior director of pharmacy at U. Health, the U. online registry is scheduled to be updated on Friday to allow patients in eligible groups to register.
Qualifying groups added on Thursday include adults over 50 and people aged 16 and over with diabetes, chronic kidney disease or body mass index over 30. These groups enter a list that includes health professionals, teachers , first responders, people with other illnesses underlying living conditions and residents and employees of long-term care institutions.
Choudhury said that as of Monday, three American clinics – in Sugar House, Farmington and South Jordan – will have the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine available. The Pfizer and Moderna two-dose vaccines will be available at the University of Utah Hospital and the United States Redwood Health Center.
“If you have the opportunity to make an appointment, don’t delay in trying,” said Choudhury.
“Interestingly,” said Webb, “… it certainly looks like there’s a lot of excitement” about the 50-year-old ad. “This represents a very large fraction of our population. And it covers a group of individuals who, again, in general, have taken more precautions than others because they are at greater risk. … This is a major development as we continue to accelerate our vaccine deployment. “
Still, he cautioned, “The vaccine is less likely to be fully effective in some individuals” with weaker immune systems. “Not everyone should see the vaccine as a gateway to total freedom yet,” he said, “although we still have a very high transmission in the community.”
– Tribune reporter Sean P. Means contributed to this report.