SALT LAKE CITY – Utah on Monday reported 1484 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths as health officials are ready to vaccinate teachers and school staff in the state this week as part of Spencer Cox’s government to speed up vaccine distribution.
According to a survey by the Utah Department of Health, 103,547 vaccines against Coronavirus were administered as reported Sunday. The new governor said Friday the vaccination rate in the state was “unacceptable” and announced that local health districts would oversee the spread.
School districts and health institutions have been asked by Cox to prioritize teachers for the vaccine who are older or who have underlying health conditions.
“I know there is a lot of anticipation,” said Trevor Warner, spokesman for the Davis County Department of Health. High-risk teachers and school staff invited by the Davis School District to make an appointment should be vaccinated on Tuesday morning. the Legacy Event Center in Farmington.
By appointment, shots will also be available Friday and Saturday for teachers and staff of Davis School District and staff of 55 years and older. The Davis School District said the clinics will continue until February 6 of age and those eligible will be notified when it is their turn to sign up.
” As a reminder, vaccination is not a condition of employment. This is an opportunity that the Department of Health can provide, ‘Christopher Williams, director of communications and operations for the school district, said in an email to employees on Friday that promises weekly updates.
In Salt Lake and Utah counties, vaccinations are distributed among the school districts there according to the student’s enrollment. The shots will be given over the next eight weeks by rotating clinics, which begin Wednesday with the Murray School District in Salt Lake County and the Nebo and Provo School Districts in Utah County.
Larry Madden, interim superintendent of Salt Lake City School District, said in an email to employees that vaccinations will be spread based on age, with age 55 or older and that health conditions or other factors will not be part of the prioritization process.
“However, we expect all employees to have the chance to receive the vaccine within the next few weeks, and we appreciate your help in making this process as smooth as possible,” Madden said, adding that there are assistance lists for appointments at the weekly clinics will be. Held at West and Highland High Schools on Thursdays.
The Alpine School District in Utah County began registering teachers and staff over the age of 60 on Monday, with those at high risk for being diagnosed with the virus able to report Tuesday and all employees Wednesday. Shots begin Saturday in that district.
Lori Buttars, spokeswoman for the Weber-Morgan Department of Health, said there had already been a huge interest from teachers, which was identified last month as a priority for vaccinations by the then government. Gary Herbert. Herbert said he hopes to reduce a ‘table tennis effect’ of classes switching from personal to online due to outbreaks.
Buttars said the vaccination for the 8,000 employees of the Ogden, Morgan and Weber districts begins Tuesday.
The educators follow health care workers in the hospital, residents and staff for long-term care, emergency services and first aid. Utah hospitals in Salt Lake City received the first doses of the vaccine in mid-December, just as health officials were preparing for the resurgence of cases after the holiday.
From January 18, all Utahns who are at least 70 years old can be vaccinated.
Renewed emphasis on testing
Another 4,737 people have been tested for the deadly virus in Utah, bringing the total tested in the state to more than 1.8 million, according to the Department of Health on Monday. The running averages of seven days for positive tests are 3 118 per day, and a still high 30.5% for percentage of positive laboratory tests.
The state’s health department also said Monday that the rapid rapid testing of COVID-19 continues throughout the state, including at new locations in Garfield, Iron, Kane, Millard and Morgan counties. Sites are selected on the basis of high positivity figures, and few tests have been done before, including untreated wastewater samples.
Tests are available to everyone, even without symptoms. Utahns can register online at bit.ly/2X66scM, where information is also available on the more than 30 locations and their working hours. Registration can also be completed on site.
The results are emailed in an encrypted file to [email protected] and may take several hours after the test is done, the health department said, suggesting that it be on a computer rather than a phone is opened. Those who do not receive results or are having difficulty opening the email should call 385-273-7878 for assistance.
The rapid antigen tests administered are less sensitive, and therefore someone who tests negative with symptoms or positive tests without symptoms is referred for follow-up tests. The goal of the test clinics is to identify people with the virus more quickly, especially those who may not know they are infected, to slow down the spread.
There are currently 554 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and the virus has hospitalized nearly 12,000 Utahns since the start of the pandemic in March. The death toll in Utah’s coronavirus has now reached 1,396, with four more deaths reported Monday:
A Beaver County man, aged between 65 and 84, was admitted to hospital at the time of his death.
A Utah County man, aged between 45 and 64, was hospitalized at the time of his death.
• A woman in Utah County, between 45 and 64, was hospitalized at the time of her death.
A Salt Lake County woman, aged between 65 and 84, was hospitalized at the time of her death.
Contributing: Marjorie Cortez