SALT LAKE CITY – More than half a million people in Utah have received vaccines designed to provide immunity against COVID-19.
The latest updates provided by the Utah Department of Health on Saturday show that 512,189 doses of the vaccine were administered in the state, which is 22,473 more than reported on Friday. This includes 335,077 who received the first doses and 127,643 who were fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said mass vaccination clinics will emerge across the state for more people to be vaccinated in the coming weeks and months, as he predicts a huge increase in the number of doses that will reach Utah in the future.
Currently, health professionals, first responders, residents and long-stay staff at institutions, elementary and high school teachers and school staff, as well as Utahns aged 70 and over, can get the vaccines. The vaccine is expected to be eligible for Utahns aged 65 and over, as well as for those with certain medical conditions on March 1.
The health department reported another 943 new cases of the disease on Saturday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in Utah to 360,584 since mid-March.
More than 2.12 million people have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including 6,803 since yesterday.
The seven-day continuous average for positive tests is now 987 cases per day in Utah, with a positive percentage of 14.4% of all people tested and 6.4% of all tests administered (which includes people who have had multiple COVID-19 tests in the previous 90 days).
Fewer people are reportedly hospitalized with the disease across Utah, and the health department reports five new deaths resulting from COVID-19.
The latest deaths include an Iron County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of his death; a man from Salt Lake County between 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized; a woman from Tooele County between 65 and 84 who was hospitalized; a woman from Utah County between 45 and 64 who was hospitalized; and, a Utah county man over 85 who was not hospitalized.
In all, 1,790 people died in Utah as a result of the pandemic disease and 298 people are currently hospitalized, which is 14 less than reported on Friday.