SALT LAKE CITY – Utah announced another 2,146 cases of COVID-19 and another 26 deaths from the virus on Tuesday, as adviser to President-elect Joe Biden, warning Utahns that the worst days of the deadly pandemic are yet to come.
The state’s most recent figures show an increase of 11,991 Utahns tested since Monday, with averages of seven days for positive tests now at 2,946 per day and 29.3% for the percentage of positive laboratory tests.
A total of more than 1.84 million Utahns have been tested since the pandemic began last March.
On the same day that immunizations started for teachers and school staff in Utah, a daily increase of 6,983 vaccinations was reported, bringing the total number of doses distributed in the state since the first doses arrived in mid-December to 110,530, according to with a Utah Department of Health Research.
In Farmington, Davis School District officials lined up in their cars at a drive-thru vaccination clinic that lasted an entire day at the Legacy Events Center. For Chera Fernelius, a second-year English teacher at Bountiful High School, the opportunity to take a photo “was like a nod of respect to the educators we didn’t feel like we had for a while.”
School teachers and staff have been placed on the front lines of hospitals and other health care professionals, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities for the vaccine by former governor Gary Herbert, a decision Fernelius said will help protect his parents from high risk who care for their three children several days a week.
“I just feel more comfortable,” said the 41-year-old part-time teacher, who suffers from mild asthma after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. “It is a great relief. I feel more secure being in the classroom. There is a protective layer in addition to the mask. “
Governor Spencer Cox, who made plans to speed up vaccinations in the state soon after taking office, called for older Utahns and those with medical conditions that put them at risk of contracting the virus to be prioritized in the future.
Next week, Utahns aged 70 and over will have their turn to be vaccinated and health districts across the state, including Salt Lake County, are due to start making appointments as early as Wednesday, online and by phone.
A member of Biden’s COVID-19 task force, Dr. Julie Morita, advised Utahns during a virtual health conference that they still need to wear masks, social distance and take other precautions against the spread of the deadly virus, even though vaccines are being administered in the State.
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“I wish there was just one thing that we could all do, the silver bullet that would take care of everyone, but there really isn’t. So it’s really important to do all of these things and get vaccinated, ”said Morita in a keynote address at the Utah Health Policy Project’s annual Health Care Solutions for Utahns conference.
Morita, a former commissioner in the Chicago Department of Public Health who now serves as executive vice president of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest public health philanthropy, said the toughest times in the battle against coronavirus are yet to come. .
“Regarding hospitalization and mortality rates, we need to be honest. Things will get worse before they get better. And the pandemic is worse than ever. More than 22 million people have already been infected ”across the country, she said, noting that Utah is currently among the states with the highest rates of infection and death.
Biden “will do everything possible to change the course of the pandemic,” said Morita, citing the president-elect’s promise to administer 100 million doses of the vaccine in its first 100 days, releasing all available supplies as soon as he takes office on 20 September. January instead of retaining second doses.
She expressed confidence that enough vaccine could be produced to ensure that no one misses a second “timely” dose, recommended three to four weeks after the first, and said that “a massive campaign” will be launched to encourage immunizations.
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Outgoing President Donald Trump has not kept his promise to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of the year, said Morita. By the beginning of the week, 9 million of the 25 million doses delivered in the states had been administered.
Later on Tuesday, Trump administration officials announced that second doses are being released and urged states to expand the vaccine’s eligibility to those 65 and older, as well as those with underlying medical conditions. In addition, vaccine distribution to states will soon be based on the number of older residents and the pace of vaccinations.
As important as vaccines are to keep the pandemic in check, Morita said, “the reality is that vaccines are limited in supply, so not everyone who wants a vaccine or should get a vaccine will be able to get it immediately,” warning that, although those at high risk should be prioritized, access should be open as more doses become available.
The new Democratic government is sending a COVID-19 funding package to Congress that will also include money for personal protective equipment so that most schools can reopen safely, as well as money to increase testing, while asking all Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days, said Morita.
There are currently 560 people hospitalized with the virus in Utah, with the total number of hospitalizations in the state reaching 12,059. The death toll in Utah reached 1,422 with a report of 26 new deaths, including 15 that occurred before December 22.
The latest reported deaths are:
• Three women from Utah County, all between 65 and 84 years old, and all residents of long-term care facilities.
• Three women from Salt Lake County, all over the age of 85, one resident in a long-term care facility and two others who were hospitalized when they died.
• A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 45 to 64, hospitalized at the time of death.
• Two women from Salt Lake County between 65 and 84 years old, one resident in a long-term care facility and the other who was not hospitalized when she died.
• Three men from Salt Lake County between 65 and 84 years old, one who was a resident of a long-term care facility and two others who were hospitalized.
• A man from Salt Lake County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A man from Weber County, over 85, not in hospital.
• Two women from Weber County, one 65-84 years old and one over 85 years old, both residing in long-term care facilities.
• A woman from Utah County, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• Two women from Davis County, one 65-84 years old and one over 85 years old, both living in long-term care facilities.
• A Davis County man, 65-84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A woman from Millard County, 45-64 years old, residing in a long-term care center.
• A woman from Washington County, over 85, not hospitalized.
• A Washington County man, over 85, residing in a long-term care facility.
• A man from Tooele County, 65-84, residing in a long-term care facility.
• An Iron County man, over 85, residing in a long-term institution.
• A man from Cache County, over 85, hospitalized.
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