Utah COVID-19 death toll reaches 1,500 if mass vaccination site opens

SALT LAKE CITY – Joyce Durrant says the process Monday was pretty simple.

“It was easy. No pain. No tension. No something. ”

She was one of many Salt Lake residents who were lucky enough to schedule an appointment Monday at the province’s newly opened mass clinic at Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.

The vaccination attempt comes as the Utah Department of Health reported another seven deaths in COVID-19 in Utah, bringing the death toll from the state to 1,500. The health department says there have been 324,919 positive cases for COVID-19 since the outbreak, while Utah added 1,082 new cases to the report Monday.

Across the country, 168,908 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 16,399 more since Sunday. According to the Department of Health, 153,979 people received the first dose, and 14,929 people received the second dose.

The Sandy Mass Vaccine Distribution Site, by appointment only for people 70 years and older, is Salt Lake County’s first deployment of the vaccine to the general public in an effort that is expected to continue indefinitely – as long as doses are delivered .

Richard and Joyce Durrant were among those who received the vaccine at the exhibit center.

Richard Durrant said he was banned by his doctor from going to work, which was a hardship.

‘I’m too susceptible to the COVID. “I have hypertension and diabetes and arthritis,” he said.

Durrant said he does not miss the bus and the camaraderie of his co-workers, and therefore he is hopeful getting the vaccine will help him get a doctor’s letter to return to work.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, who was at the exhibit on Monday, said in a telephone interview with the Deseret News that health workers are expected to deliver just under 1,000 doses to people by the end.

Steve Griffin, Deseret News

“I wish we had more doses,” she said. “We can probably apply four times the amount we can get out today.”

She said major centers like the Mountain America website significantly increase the efficiency of time spent for patients as well as healthcare professionals when it comes to administering the vaccine.

“It works really, really well,” she said, adding that people get in and out of the center within about 20 minutes, including the mandatory 15-minute waiting time after the vaccination is given to ensure there are no adverse effects. reaction.

“As with any vaccine, people arrive a little nervous, but leave with a big smile on their face,” Wilson said.

There are people on hand to help those who may be in a wheelchair or need other help, the mayor said, but many people walk in on their own power.

Wilson said there will be other mass vaccination sites opening, but these efforts are hampered by the shortage of available vaccine.

“Three percent of our population has been vaccinated to date, we want to get it closer to 70%,” she said.

At Mountain America, Wilson chokes as she describes the deaths, the challenges of fighting the virus and the tremendous pressure it has put on so many lives.

“This virus has turned us upside down as a community,” she said. “I think of the isolation of so many people.”

Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson was also in the exhibit center, but she stressed that it was not to look over the shoulder of officials in Salt Lake County, but to impress them with the new government’s government.

“We are very impressed with the operation,” she said. “We’re here to help.”

Henderson added that the explosion of the vaccine to the general population of more than 70 years old and Salt Lake County residents is progressing to stop the deadly reach of the new coronavirus.

“It was a very cruel year,” she said. “And it’s really exciting to see a remedy for the end of this pandemic.”

Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Clocks to indicate the death toll of the state

Government Spencer Cox also ordered Monday that the bells at the state Capitol ring at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of a national COVID-19 memorial in honor of the lost lives.

Cox said the bells will ring 15 times in memory of the 1,500 Utahns who have died since March last year.

“We will never forget the heavy toll that this deadly virus has claimed in this condition, and we pray for comfort and peace to the bereaved families and friends,” Cox said. “We hope all Utahns will share in those we lost during this national moment of remembrance.”

Monday’s report on the Department of Health

The state agency says 568 people remain with the virus in the hospital, with ICU beds on or near capacity. The number of people admitted to Utah since the outbreak is 12,576. The running average of seven days for positive tests is 2154 per day, while the average percentage of positive laboratory tests is 21.1%.

A total of 1,906,909 people in Utah have been tested for the virus, an increase of 4,649 that has been tested since Sunday.

The seven deaths reported Monday include four women:

• A Weber County resident between the ages of 25 and 44 who was hospitalized at the time of death.

• A Utah resident between the ages of 25 and 44 who was not admitted to the hospital.

• A Utah resident between the ages of 45 and 64 who was hospitalized at the time of death.

• And a Washington County resident between the ages of 45 and 64 who was not admitted to the hospital.

Three men who died were:

• A Utah resident between the ages of 25 and 44 who was not admitted to the hospital.

• A Washington County resident between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized at the time of death.

• A Weber County resident between the ages of 65 and 84 who was not admitted to the hospital.