First, the state needs more than 1 million extra first doses of vaccine. Then the mandates in provinces with low virus transmission rates will start to increase.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Karen Johnson, a heart counselor at the Jordan Family Education Center, received her second vaccination against covid-19 on Friday. Jordan School District employees were invited to West Hills Middle School to receive their coronavirus vaccine on February 12, 2021.
For the tenth time in 11 days, Utah on Tuesday reported less than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 – a total of 716.
First, 1 633 000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines must be allocated to the state. So far, the federal government has allocated 444,905 to Utah.
Eight weeks after that time, masks are not needed in provinces that have a ‘low’ transmission level of the virus.
As of this week, only five rural Utah counties – Daggett, Garfield, Piute, Rich and Wayne – are in the low-shipment category
Health officials also reported a dozen new deaths, although seven of them occurred before February 1 and were only recently confirmed as coronavirus-related.
Vaccinations reported in the past day / total vaccinations • 11,966 / 623,876.
Number of Utahns receiving two doses • 213,278.
Cases reported in the past day • 716.
Deaths reported in the past day • 12.
Salt Lake County has reported four deaths – two men and a woman between the ages of 65 and 84, and a woman over the age of 85.
There were two deaths in Davis County – a man 45-64 and a woman 65-84.
And two deaths in Sevier County – both women over 85.
Four counties each reported a single death – a woman 65-84 in Cache County, a man 65-84 in Utah County, a man 65-84 in Washington County and a man 65-84 in Weber County.
Hospitalizations reported in the past day • 239. It’s two from Monday. Of those currently admitted to the hospital, 95 are in intensive care units – four less than Monday.
Tests reported in the past day • 6,458 people were tested for the first time. A total of 18,480 people were tested.
Percentage of positive tests • According to the original method of the state, the rate is 11.1%. This is lower than the seven-day average of 13.3%.
The new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Tuesday’s rate is now at 3.9%, lower than the seven-day average of 6.2%.
Total to date • 367,789 cases; 1,865 deaths; 14,520 hospitalizations; 2,172,963 people were tested.
The state’s updated public health order also stipulates how students can test for the coronavirus to stay in school or participate in extracurricular activities in high school.
The renewed order provides guidelines to school districts to apply the “test to stay” protocols when a school breaks out; students can choose to move on to distance education or continue with personal classes if they receive a negative COVID-19 test. The order also contains rules for ‘test to play’, whereby high school students can participate in one-off extra-mural events (for example, prom) if they are tested two weeks ahead of time.
Rules for pubs and public gatherings are also being relaxed in provinces with moderate transfer levels. Bars in the provinces are no longer needed to limit occupancy to 75%, but they must ensure that patrons wear masks if they are within 6 feet of a separate party.
People at public gatherings – including movie theaters, sporting events, weddings and leisure and entertainment activities – in moderate provinces can sit side by side as they all wear masks, have no COVID symptoms and are not quarantined or isolated. If someone at the event tests positive, the hosts should be able to make contact with those who were in close contact with that person.
As of Tuesday, only eight provinces of Utah – Box Elder, Carbon, Duchesne, Millard, Morgan, San Juan, Uintah and Weber – are in the moderate area.
Sixteen provinces in Utah remain in the high-transmission category; it contains most of the state’s major population centers in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Washington, and Cache.
Rich Saunders, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, signed the renewed order Monday night. It is effective until March 25.