SALT LAKE CITY – Health departments in Utah are trying to figure out how to fulfill Governor Spencer Cox’s goal of opening the vaccine registry for every adult in the state.
They are calling Cox’s Thursday night announcement an “unexpected change” and a “surprise”.
Vaccine launches have been stable and incremental – decreasing age and increasing health conditions.
But according to what Governor Cox is saying now, everything is expected to change on April 1.
“We were surprised like everyone else, when the Governor’s Office announced this,” said Davis County Health Department communications manager Trevor Warner.
Read: The governor plans to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adult Utah residents on April 1
No, this is not a April Fool’s joke.
Although it may seem like one, considering that health departments like Davis County are bogged down to the neck in consultations for the population of over 50, which opened last week.
“We are working to transition our vaccine launch to accommodate this unexpected change in an age-based distribution plan,” said the Salt Lake County Health Department, in a statement sent to FOX 13.
We are fully booked with appointments in these new priority groups until the first week of April, “said Warner.” We have not yet seen the vaccine launch as the governor said it would happen. “
Although Warner has described that he has not yet received booster doses that would allow them to increase their consultations, Joe Dougherty of Utah’s COVID-19 Response Team explained that they expect this increase to happen in the coming weeks.
“The federal government has promised and is in the process of buying more vaccines,” said Dougherty. “Today they announced that they are buying 100 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.”
Read: Coroner: No certified deaths related to the COVID-19 vaccine in Utah
Once Utah has enough vaccines, explained Dougherty, they can develop and have partners ready to vaccinate 300,000 people a week.
The state is currently receiving 67,000 first doses a week, he said.
With all the excitement surrounding the April 1 date, Dougherty emphasized that the timeline is not set in stone.
Hence some keywords in the ad, such as “anticipate” and “probably”.
“The governor predicts that by April 1, we will probably be able to make vaccines available to everyone else in Utah,” said Dougherty.
It is cautious optimism, he said. It is not a guarantee, but a hope that April Fool’s Day can be the real deal for all adults in Utah.
Read: Utah sees high vaccination rate for the elderly
“April 1 will be an exciting day for many people and it will be exciting for health departments if the vaccine arrives and we are able to open more consultations,” said Warner. “But at the same time, people just need to keep in mind that the vaccine has not yet arrived.”
Warner, Dougherty and the Salt Lake County Department of Health pointed out that those who are currently not eligible to receive the vaccine cannot apply for any appointment – even if the appointment is after April 1.
“We are currently not scheduling appointments for people under 50 unless they have a qualifying medical condition,” wrote the Salt Lake County Health Department.
They said the rest of the adult population who want the vaccine will have to wait until officially open, which is likely to be after April 1. Warner said it will be a battle for people to get an appointment and asked them to be patient if they can’t get an appointment right away.
In addition to county health departments, there are several other places where people can get the vaccine.
Read: See how to register for a COVID-19 vaccination in Utah
Here is the full statement from the Salt Lake County Health Department on the April 1 timeline:
“We are working to transition our vaccine launch to accommodate this unexpected change in an age-based distribution plan. We hope that by April 1 the vaccine will be more widely available in several locations in the community, including additional retail pharmacies. , private providers, and on sites that specifically cater to diverse, multicultural and underserved communities. We are currently not scheduling appointments for people under 50, unless they have a qualifying medical condition. “