SALT LAKE CITY – Utah leaders have launched a new “vaccine delivery roadmap” to ensure that all groups within the state have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, while the state continues to expand the parameters on who is eligible to receive it. over there.
Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson said the roadmap was created as state leaders sought to ensure that there was an “inclusive vaccination strategy” that would cover groups that might otherwise be neglected as vaccinations increased.
The plan released by the state on Thursday would make it easier for individuals in minority communities, people with disabilities and homeless people to have better access to the vaccine.
“Our goal is to ensure that vaccines are administered in a fair and equitable manner, and that every Utahn who wants a vaccine can get it, regardless of who they are or where they live,” said Henderson. “The vaccine delivery roadmap directs vaccine providers across Utah to identify and remove barriers to access so that we can recover together without leaving anyone behind.”
This starts by identifying who can be left behind and creating a message campaign that all Utahns can understand. The virus transmission data from the first months of the pandemic highlighted these problems because they showed that minority communities were disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
In addition to addressing minority communities and tribal nations, the plan recognizes language barriers that already exist. Henderson said the roadmap also aims to make it easier for Utahns to get the vaccine if they are at home, if they do not have access to transportation, residents of rural communities, families who do not have access to computers to schedule a vaccine appointment, or people who do they can leave work to get vaccinated.
The current plan could be changed to allow adjustments requested by underrepresented communities or vaccine providers to provide better access to the vaccine as well, she said.
“It is important that the work plans include strategies focused on the specific needs of these groups,” says the roadmap document. “Strategies must be based on data, use community leaders and partners to ensure that all Utahns obtain accurate vaccination information from reliable sources and that everyone has equal access to health services.”
Once it is established who may not have easy access to the vaccine, the next strategy is to create the appropriate message to inform underrepresented groups how they can access it.
The part may be more difficult, state officials said, because some underrepresented groups may be more hesitant to receive the vaccine. The document released on Thursday said the survey data showed that confidence in the vaccine was lower among African-American and Hispanic populations.
“Our goal is to provide all Utahns with current and reliable health information so that they can make informed decisions for themselves and their families,” added the document. “The state of Utah has many communication resources available to ensure that accurate health information reaches all Utahns, from sources they trust.”
The next step would be to discover strategies for vaccinating all Utahns. This could be through mobile vaccination van routes or vaccination sites in communities, said Henderson. The vans can travel to senior centers, correctional facilities or specific neighborhoods where people can get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Clinics for the disabled can also be set up. Henderson added that the state spent about $ 1 million on language translation efforts alone, which helped the state translate its COVID-19 and vaccine information website into more than 20 languages.
Part of that has already been done. For example, Henderson said the Tri-County Department of Health in northeastern Utah started working with religious leaders to allow information to be distributed in multiple languages. The state has also started working with Spanish-speaking media to hold virtual meetings at the city hall about the vaccine.
“It really takes an entire community to reach the entire community,” she said. “We are grateful to those who contributed to this roadmap and continue to provide feedback and help us to know where the needs are so that we can better reach these locations.”
The schedule is to carry out as many vaccinations as possible by the end of 2021, according to the document. It was released on the same day that Governor Spencer Cox said he believed eligibility for the vaccine could open to all Utah adults by April.
The best vaccine for you is one that you can get first, regardless of the manufacturer.
–Dr. Angela Dunn, Utah Department of Health epidemiologist
The roadmap also defined success as having vaccination rates across the state that reflect “proportional numbers of all Utahns who are vaccinated”.
“This means that similar percentages of all populations have been vaccinated, including in populations that may be at greater risk of serious illness due to social, economic or geographical factors,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the state continues to expand vaccine distribution partnerships. She announced a partnership with three healthcare providers who started administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients this week.
The number of vaccine options has also increased this week with the addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which has been approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.
At a news conference on Thursday, Dr. Angela Dunn, a state epidemiologist, answered questions the Utahns asked about which vaccine they should receive. She begged all Utahns to be vaccinated as soon as they were eligible, regardless of the drug’s manufacturer.
“The best vaccine for you is one that you can get first, regardless of the manufacturer,” she said. “It is so exciting that we have three effective and safe vaccines against COVID-19 now. … The fact that we have three means that we can end this pandemic sooner, and it will require everyone to get the vaccine when it is available to them.”