SALT LAKE CITY – Hospitals will temporarily not receive the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, even if they have not vaccinated all of their employees, the Utah Department of Health confirmed to FOX 13.
Instead, under the command of Governor Spencer Cox to expedite the vaccination efforts, local health departments and long-term care institutions will receive the doses for emergencies and vulnerable adults.
“As we increase the number of Utah residents currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we need to ensure that we get doses to providers who can administer the largest amounts,” the health department spokesman said. Tom Hudachko, told FOX 13. ‘means for the next few weeks, local health departments and pharmacist partners who immunize staff for long-term care facilities and residents will receive all the doses Utah can order each week. ‘
Hospitals have vaccinated their health care workers over the past month, preferring those who work directly with COVID-19 patients. But the move means some hospital workers (who are lower on the priority scale) will now have to wait to be vaccinated.
Intermountain Healthcare said the move by UDOH would not stop their two-dose vaccination efforts, which are already underway. About 30,000 health workers have already received the initial dose.
But Intermountain expected that it would not receive any more initial doses until all the second dose of employees had been packed. It did not expect the state’s change in approach to cause problems.
“The system seems to be working well,” Intermountain spokeswoman Jess Gomez told FOX 13. “We get the vaccinations out pretty quickly.”
The state’s largest healthcare system estimates that this means that 10,000 remaining employees will have to wait a few weeks before they can resume the first doses.
The state began offering the COVID-19 vaccine to K-12 teachers and staff this week. Most local school districts have chosen to start with their oldest educators first. Next week, adults over the age of 70 will be offered, as the state begins to prioritize based on age and risk. Cox Government removes ‘essential workers’ from priority list. But, the new governor also insisted on building up vaccination efforts.