SALT LAKE CITY – Nominations for the COVID-19 vaccination are filling up quickly in Utah, now that the state is opening eligibility for everyone over 16 as of Wednesday.
The decision announced by Governor Spencer Cox last week adds about a million people to a list that already includes Utahns 50 and older, those with specific medical conditions, health professionals, first responders, residents and long-term care staff, and K -12 teachers and school staff.
There is no estimate of how long it will take to receive vaccines in the arms of all residents who wish to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, said Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko. Since the first vaccines arrived in mid-December, nearly 1.2 million doses have been administered.
His advice is “just be patient. Each time we open eligibility for additional groups, we create more demand than supply. If someone can’t find an appointment today, keep trying. Hudachko said that “definitely” can count on vaccination, although the question is when.
Anyone looking for appointments via links on the states’ coronavirus.utah.gov website on Tuesday saw that it will probably take a while.
Harmons posted that he was fully booked for COVID-19 vaccinations and that new slots would not be available until March 29 at 9 am. Others, including the locations of Maceys and Dan, were booked online until April 22. Reams in Springville seemed to have a lot of commitments – starting on May 10th.
Intermountain Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in the region, has no appointment scheduled this week for the new group of eligible Utahns, but expects to open more vacancies on Friday. The University of Utah Health, which is vaccinating only its own patients, expects available consultations to be quick.
As of Tuesday morning, the Salt Lake County Health Department had about 24,000 of the more than 46,000 open consultations on Monday still available, said spokesman Gabe Moreno. All commitments are for April and most are for mid-month and beyond, he said.
The Davis County Health Department’s drive-thru vaccination site at the Legacy Events Center in Farmington will not begin scheduling appointments for new entrants until 12:01 pm on Wednesday, but is already scheduled until April 5 by those already prioritized for vaccines, said spokesman Trevor Warner.
“The appointments people will make will be in the week of April 5 and the next two weeks,” said Warner. “If we somehow fall for the extra vaccine, then consultations will be added and people can get in early, but that is a big if.”
He said the site is administering about 14,000 doses of vaccine a week.
Utah is joining West Virginia, Alaska and Mississippi to offer vaccines to all adults. Other states are announcing dates to extend eligibility to everyone, including Texas as of Monday. President Joe Biden has set May 1 as the deadline for all Americans to be vaccinated. Cox advanced his own goal on April 1.
Vaccines are not available for children under 16, although testing is in progress. Only the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, one of three approved for use in the United States, can be administered to 16- and 17-year-olds. Modern two-dose vaccines and Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines are for over 18s only.
A law passed by the Utah legislature in the last session suspends the state’s mask mandate on April 10, and other restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, once enough vaccine has been received to inoculate 70% of the population, about 1.63 million doses, as long as the case count and hospitalization rates remain low.
‘No Mask Mandate for Kids Act’ introduced
Also on Tuesday, Congressman Chris Stewart, R-Utah, introduced legislation in Congress that he is calling the No Mask Mandate for Kids Act to rescind the president’s order issued on his second day in office demanding the use of masks at airports , bus and train terminals. and on trains, airplanes, buses and public transport.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children under the age of 2 are exempt. A press release from the Utah congressman’s office said that “there was no reasonable scientific support to support” the use of masks by children.
“This decision does not belong to the federal government,” said Stewart. “Families with young children are being expelled from flights for the smallest ‘infraction’ of wearing a mask. Industries, states and families have the right to decide whether or not children should wear masks while traveling. ”
Utah’s last COVID-19 numbers
The state health department reported 383 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, and 15 additional deaths, including 12 that occurred before March 1. A total of 1,178,728 doses of vaccine were administered in Utah, a daily increase of 23,950.
The state’s seven-day continuous average for positive COVID-19 tests is 443 per day, and an additional 6,022 residents have been tested since Monday, with a total of 15,624 tests being administered. The seven-day continuous average for the positivity percentage is 4% when all test results are included and 7.8% when multiple tests performed by an individual in the last 90 days are excluded.
Currently, 131 people are hospitalized in Utah with the virus. The death toll in the state is now 2,077, with 15 deaths reported on Tuesday. They are:
• A woman from Weber County, between 65 and 84 years old, residing in a long-term care institution.
• A man from Davis County, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• Salt Lake County woman, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A woman from Utah County, aged 65 to 84, who lives in a long-term care facility.
• A man from Davis County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A woman from Utah County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A man from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, who was not hospitalized at the time of death.
• Salt Lake County woman, aged 65 to 84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A Davis County man, over 85, who lives in a long-term care facility.
• A man from Garfield County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, who was not hospitalized at the time of death.
• A Utah county man, over 85, not hospitalized at the time of death.
• A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, who was not hospitalized at the time of death.
• A Utah county man, aged 45-64, who was not hospitalized at the time of death.
• A man from Cache County, aged 45-64, hospitalized at the time of death.