COVID-19 is still common in Utah, although fewer people are hospitalized

SALT LAKE CITY – Another 15,148 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in Utah, the state health department said on Saturday.

So far, 27,542 people have been fully vaccinated, with another 194,733 in Utah having received the first dose – meaning that almost 7% of Utahns have started the process or are well underway.

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

Utah Governor Spencer Cox tweeted on Saturday saying that when he became governor, Utah was vaccinating 5,000 a day and by Friday the number had increased to at least 15,000 because “our local health departments have increased a lot” . He said the changes included a focus on using what the state has to vaccinate as many people as possible with the first dose; in addition, redistribute vaccines when they are not being used efficiently.

The 13 local health departments across the state are doing what they can to bring the vaccine to currently eligible groups, which include health professionals, residents and employees of long-term health institutions, teachers and staff from public schools and Utahns with 70 years or more. And Cox gave them carte blanche to do that – “every day we are providing new features: updating servers, call centers, data entry and nurses”, he tweeted.

Many health districts reported full reserves as of 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 said, it will be relocated and used as a first dose for someone else.

On Twitter on Saturday, he said that this does not mean that a person will not receive their second dose, only that the state will arrange for their vaccine supply as soon as possible.

“From day one, I said, ‘We will be using all doses in seven days. If you’re not using it, you shouldn’t have it, ‘” he told Chris Cuomo of CNN on Friday, in relation to the accumulation of unused doses on the shelves of CVS and Walgreens pharmacies due to federal contracts. Cox said they have more than they need to fulfill their goal of vaccinating customers and employees at long-term care facilities.

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

He told Cuomo that the 33,000 Utah vaccine quota each week will be used on Wednesday. “And it will happen every week until we get more,” said Cox.

Masks, social distance and proper hand hygiene will continue to be important even after vaccination to prevent another increase in cases. There are signs that the recent post-holiday increase is decreasing, including lower numbers of daily cases and a 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 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, as well as a slight drop in the average continuous percentage of positive tests – to 18.9%. Weeks ago, the average percentage of positive daily tests was 33% and, in the previous week, hovered above 19%.

Also promising, there was a significant decline in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Utah. Saturday’s report indicates that 481 are hospitalized, against 488 on Friday and 529 on Thursday.

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

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

The new COVID-19 deaths reported on Saturday are:

• A man from Salt Lake County between 45 and 64 who was hospitalized at the time of his death.
• Salt Lake County woman, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A Washington County man between 65 and 84 who was hospitalized.
• A woman from Utah County over 85 who was hospitalized.
• A Davis County man between 45 and 64 who was hospitalized.
• A Davis County man between 65 and 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 man from Utah County 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.