SALT LAKE CITY – Utah reported 1,484 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths on Monday, as health officials prepare to start vaccinating teachers and school officials across the state this week as part of the governor’s plan Spencer Cox to speed up delivery of the vaccine.
There were 103,547 coronavirus vaccines administered in Utah, according to a Utah Department of Health survey, 738 more than reported on Sunday. The new governor said on Friday that the vaccination rate in the state has been “unacceptable” and announced that local health districts would oversee distribution.
School districts and health agencies were asked by Cox to prioritize vaccine teachers who are older or who have underlying health problems.
“I know there is a lot of anticipation,” said Trevor Warner, spokesman for the Davis County Health Department, where drive-thru vaccinations for high-risk teachers and school officials invited by the Davis School District to make an appointment are scheduled to start Tuesday morning at the Legacy Event Center in Farmington.
Vaccines by appointment will also be available on Fridays and Saturdays for teachers and staff in the Davis School District aged 55 and over, and Warner said up to 1,600 can be vaccinated each day. The Davis School District said the clinics will continue for age until February 6 and those eligible will be notified when it is their turn to apply.
“To remember, vaccination is not a condition of employment. It is an opportunity that the health department is able to offer, ”said Christopher Williams, director of communications and operations for the school district, in an email Friday to employees that included a promise of weekly updates.
In Salt Lake and Utah counties, vaccines will be distributed among school districts according to student enrollment. The injections will be delivered to rotating clinics over the next eight weeks, starting on Wednesday with the Murray school district in Salt Lake County and the Nebo and Provo school districts in Utah County.
Larry Madden, acting superintendent for the Salt Lake City School District, said in an email to employees that vaccines will be distributed based on age, starting at age 55 or older and that health conditions or other factors will not be part of the prioritization process.
“However, we anticipate that all employees will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine in the coming weeks and we appreciate your help in making this process as smooth as possible,” said Madden, adding that there will be waiting lists for appointments at the weekly clinics held at Thursdays at West and Highland High Schools.
The Alpine School District in Utah County began enrolling teachers and staff over 60 on Monday, with those deemed to be at high risk for contracting the virus and could enroll on Tuesday and all staff on Wednesday. Shooting starts in that district on Saturday.
Lori Buttars, a spokeswoman for the Weber-Morgan Health Department, said there had already been “a lot of interest” on the part of teachers, identified last month as priorities for vaccination by the then government. Gary Herbert. Herbert said he hopes to “minimize the ping-pong effect” of classes that change from face-to-face to online because of outbreaks.
Buttars said vaccinations for the 8,000 employees in the school districts of Ogden, Morgan and Weber will begin on Tuesday.
Educators accompany hospital health professionals, residents and employees of long-term care facilities, emergency service providers and first responders. Utah hospitals in Salt Lake City received their first doses of the vaccine in mid-December, just as health officials were preparing for the increase in post-holiday cases.
From January 18, all Utahns at least 70 years old will be able to be vaccinated.
Renewed emphasis on testing
Another 4,737 people were tested for the deadly virus in Utah, bringing the total tested in the state to more than 1.8 million, shows the update from the health department on Monday. The seven-day continuous average for positive tests is 3,118 per day, and still high of 30.5% for the percentage of positive laboratory tests.
Also on Monday, the state health department said the free COVID-19 rapid test continues across the state, including in new locations in Garfield, Iron, Kane, Millard and Morgan counties. The sites are chosen based on high rates of positivity, few tests have been carried out previously, sampling of untreated wastewater, among other data.
Tests are available for everyone, even those without symptoms. Utahns can register online at bit.ly/2X66scM, where information on more than 30 locations and their opening hours is also available. Registration can also be done on site.
The results are being sent by email in an encrypted file from [email protected] and may take several hours after the test is done to appear, said the state health department, suggesting that they be opened on a computer instead. phone. Those who do not receive the results or have trouble opening the email should call 385-273-7878 for help.
Rapid antigen tests administered are less sensitive, so someone with a negative test with symptoms or a positive test without symptoms is being referred for follow-up testing. The purpose of testing clinics is to more quickly identify people with the virus, especially those who may not know they are infected, to help slow the spread.
There are currently 554 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and the virus has put nearly 12,000 Utahns in the hospital since the pandemic began last March. The number of coronavirus deaths in Utah now reaches 1,396, with four additional deaths reported on Monday:
• A man from Beaver County, aged 65 to 84, hospitalized at the time of death.
• A Utah county man, aged 45 to 64, hospitalized at the time of death.
• A woman from Utah County, aged 45 to 64, hospitalized at the time of death.
• A woman from Salt Lake County, aged 65 to 84, hospitalized at the time of death.
Contributing: Marjorie Cortez