SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Thursday that the state is expanding the number of Utahs eligible to receive the COVID-19.
With effect from Monday 8 March 2021, the following groups are eligible to make appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine:
- Everyone in the state of 50 years and older
- 16 years and older with certain underlying health conditions
- Anyone with type I or II diabetes
- Anyone who is obese and has a BMI of 30 or higher
- Anyone with chronic kidney disease
This is the largest group the state has added to qualify: 600,000 to 700,000 people. The group also includes all those who have a risk factor above 1 – basically all those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Government Cox says if the distribution of vaccines continues on the current track, all Utahns will be able to receive the vaccine by April.
Vaccine Updates
Currently, at least 75% of 75-year-old Utahns have received at least their first dose of the vaccine, and 52% of Utahns between the ages of 65-69 have also received at least one shot, Cox said.
And more doses of vaccination are on the way. Cox has announced that the state has sent 23,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the first vaccinations are expected to take place Thursday.
Cox said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a game changer. “It gets the job done in one go,” Cox said. “And it’s so important to a lot of people in our population.”
In addition, Cox said he was very encouraged by a recent survey showing that 78% of Utahns are willing to get one of the three authorized vaccines.
“The best vaccine for you is the vaccine you can get first,” said Dr. Anegla Dunn, state epidemiologist, said.
Last week, the state administered 660,444 doses of the vaccine, which is an increase of 125,079 doses from the previous week.
To date, Utah has administered 785,523 doses.
Vaccination roadmap
Lt. Governor Henderson announced that the state has created a roadmap for vaccination to secure Utahns in marginalized communities, such as the homeless population of Utah and rural areas.
A look at the coronavirus numbers
The state reported 611 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. Since Wednesday, an increase of 7,286 people has been tested for COVID-19.
The running average of 7 days for percentage positivity of “people above people” is 10.0%, with an average of 558 positive cases per day.
Currently, 203 residents are hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications, and 87 people have been admitted to intensive care units. The total number of hospitalizations since the outbreak is 14,816.
Another 12 Utahns died of COVID-19 on Thursday. Among the deaths, seven of the 12 deaths reported today occurred before February 11, 2021. In addition, two deaths reported earlier on February 23, 2021 were withdrawn.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Utah has lost 1,965 residents to the virus.