Health departments “surprised” by the announcement of the Cox government vaccine on April 1

SALT LAKE CITY – Health departments across Utah are trying to figure out how to meet Governor Spencer Cox’s goal of opening the vaccine registry to every adult in the state.

They call Cox’s late Thursday announcement an “unexpected change” and a “surprise”.

Vaccination of vaccines is stable and incremental; it works in old age and higher in health conditions.
But according to what Governor Cox is saying now, that is all expected to change on April 1st.

“We were just as surprised as everyone when the governor’s office announced it,” said Davis County Communications Manager Trevor Warner.

Read: Governor plans to qualify for vaccination of COVID-19 for all adult residents of Utah on April 1

No, this is not an April Fool’s joke.

While it may seem like one, health departments like Davis County are in touch with the population of more than 50 people that opened last week.

“We are working to transfer our vaccines to accommodate this unexpected change to an age-based distribution plan,” the Salt Lake Department of Health said in a statement sent to FOX 13.

We were completely booked with appointments in these new priority groups during the first week of April, “Warner said. We have not yet seen the vaccine roll in as the governor said. “

While Warner described that he had not yet received a boost in doses that would enable them to increase their appointments, Joe Dougherty, along with the Utah COVID-19 response team, explained that they expect the boost in the coming weeks will take place.

“The federal government has promised and is purchasing more vaccines,” Dougherty said. “Today, they announced that they are purchasing 100 million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine.”

Read: Medical examiner: No certified deaths related to COVID-19 vaccine in Utah

Once Utah has enough vaccines, Dougherty explained, they could take off and have partners ready to vaccinate 300,000 people a week.
At present, the state receives 67,000 first doses per week, he said.

With all the excitement surrounding the April 1 date, Dougherty stressed that the timeline is not in stone.

Hence some keywords in the announcement, such as ‘anticipate’ and ‘likely’.

“The governor expects that by about April 1, we will probably be able to make the vaccines available to everyone in the state of Utah,” Dougherty said.

That’s cautious optimism, he said. Not a guarantee, but a hope that April Fools’ Day could be the right thing for every adult in Utah.

Read: Utah sees high vaccination rate for seniors

“The first of April will be an exciting day for many people, and it will be exciting for health departments if vaccine rolls in and we can make more appointments,” Warner said. “But at the same time, people just need to stay in perspective that the vaccine is not here yet.”
Warner, Dougherty, and the Salt Lake County Department of Health have each pointed out that those who are currently unable to receive the vaccine will not be able to sign up for any appointments – even after the April 1 appointment.

“We are not currently planning appointments for people under 50 unless they have a medical condition,” the Salt Lake County Department of Health wrote.

They said the rest of the adult population who want the vaccination will have to wait until the time officially opens, which will probably only be after April. Warner said it would be a struggle for people to make appointments, and encouraged them to be patient if they could not get an appointment right away.

In addition to health departments in the country, there are several other places where people can get the vaccine.

Read: How to Apply for a COVID-19 Vaccine in Utah

Here is a complete statement from the Salt Lake County Department of Health on the April 1 timeline: