SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced on Thursday that state residents aged 16 and over who have certain comorbidities are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Previously, the eligibility date for Utahns with comorbidities was expected to be March 1, but Cox said those people are eligible immediately. The full list of comorbidities that make people eligible for the vaccine is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine-distribution/#eligibility.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Pfizer vaccine only for 16- and 17-year-olds, Cox said. If people in this age group want to be vaccinated, they need to schedule an appointment at a vaccination center that provides the Pfizer vaccine, he added. the governor. Not all vaccine clinics have the Pfizer vaccine, and a list of clinics that have it will be provided at coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.
Cox also announced on Thursday that people who want the vaccine no longer have to wait to make an appointment in their county. If you find an available time in another county, you can now make an appointment there. However, you should make an appointment for the second dose of the vaccine in the same municipality where you scheduled the first dose, Cox said.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox is providing an update on the pandemic COVID-19 at a news conference. The event that started at 11 am is being broadcast live here. Utah Department of Health epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn is also expected to speak at the news conference.
New COVID-19 cases
Thursday, the number of COVID-19 cases in Utah increased by 832, with an additional 11 deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Four of the deaths occurred last month, but are still being investigated by the state’s medical examiner, the health department said. The state also reported an additional 18,563 vaccinations by Thursday.
The average number of positive cases per day for seven days is now 723, according to the health department. The rate of positive test per day for that period of time reported with the “people over people” method is now 12.4%. The positive test rate per day, averaged over seven days calculated using the “test over test” method is now 5.7%.
There are 221 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, state data show. 660,444 vaccines have already been administered in the state, compared to 641,881 on Wednesday.
This story will be updated.
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