SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Department of Health officials said they will receive thousands of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government next week.
Overall, it’s a 30% jump from previous weeks, or an additional 5,500 doses, a solid increase considering Utah receives about 33,000 doses a week.
“We were a little surprised to see it,” said Rich Lakin, director of immunization at the Utah Department of Health. “If they can send us more vaccines, that’s fine.”
Right now, tens of thousands of Utahns 70 or older are trying to get the vaccine, so many that websites across statewide health departments have crashed.
Lakin said they do not know why they are receiving the extra doses or whether they will continue in the future.
“Unfortunately, we only know from week to week what the federal government will send us. So it is very difficult to plan for the future when it is not known how many doses it will receive,” Lakin said. “I’m really hesitant that we would make a 30% jump from here.”
Lakin said they will decide how to distribute the extra doses and to whom they will go on Thursday. Not sure if they will be distributed among health departments and may go to others on the waiting list.
“There are many more than 70 who need to be vaccinated who cannot go to local health departments and if we can reach those populations at the same time, the burden and death from COVID-19 will also be reduced,” he said. Lakin.
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I Rascon