SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he’s getting more and more optimistic about COVID-19 vaccines.
The state will now receive an increased allocation of the Modern vaccine, bringing the total number of vaccines sent to Utah each week to 40,000, including the Modern and Pfizer vaccines, according to the governor. Previously, the state received about 33,000 doses per week.
In addition, state leaders predict that the number of vaccines sent to the state could reach 100,000 a week in March or April, Cox said. Federal approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected in February and AstraZeneca is also preparing to submit its vaccine for approval.
The approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to allow Utah to significantly increase vaccines, especially among people who have comorbidities, Cox said. He plans to make an announcement next week about what comorbidities will make people fit for the vaccine.
While it would take months to vaccinate each Utahn at a rate of 100,000 doses per week, it is still a big improvement, the governor said.
“I’m more optimistic now than I was even a week ago,” Cox said Thursday.
On Thursday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, and Utah Department of Health state epidemiologist Angela Dunn provided an update on the COVID-19 pandemic at a conference of press. Watch the replay of the press conference below.
Demand for vaccines still exceeds supply
Of the nearly 400,000 doses of vaccine shipped to Utah so far, only 95 have been discarded or discarded, Cox said Thursday.
A state vaccine audit revealed that 95 doses were not used, mainly due to vials or syringes that were damaged during traffic, the governor said.
There have been reports from other states that large amounts of vaccine doses are being released due to regulations on how they should be used, but there is no evidence that this is happening in Utah, Cox added. While the departments and health facilities that administer the vaccines must use the doses within seven days of delivery, doses greater than seven days have been reallocated, not losing them, the governor said.
Demand for the vaccine is even greater than supply in Utah, state leaders said. Currently, health care workers, first aid, teachers and K-12 staff and anyone over the age of 70 are eligible to be vaccinated in Utah.
Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson said last week he completed his tour of the 13 local health districts in Utah. They have all been instructed to save lists of people who want the vaccine, but have not been able to book an appointment, Henderson said. They have also been asked to maintain a waiting list of people eligible for the vaccine who could receive a vaccine at the end of the day so that additional doses not used that day are not wasted, Henderson added. .
While state leaders acknowledge that getting an appointment for a vaccine has been difficult in some areas, lists are being established to streamline the process and get the maximum number of gun vaccines, the lieutenant governor said. Visits to health districts were “very open” and a great experience, he added.
“I can’t stress enough the tremendous work these local health workers are doing,” Henderson said.
While demand still exceeds supply of vaccines in Utah, state leaders hope it will change soon, he added.
“We encourage everyone to continue to have patience,” Henderson said.
New COVID-19 cases
The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 1,761 on Thursday, with no more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
The health department did not report any deaths on Thursday due to a data transmission error, the agency said clarified in a tweet Thursday afternoon. The deaths reportedly reported on Thursday will be added to Friday’s COVID-19 statistical report, the health department said.
In today’s # COVID19 updating the case count, zero new deaths were recorded. This was due to a data transmission error. Deaths that would have been reported today will be added to tomorrow’s case count report.
– Utah Department of Health (@UtahDepOfHealth) January 28, 2021
According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per seven-day day is 1,710. The positive daily test rate for this time period is now 18.3%.
The health department estimates that there are now 43,187 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah.
In addition, the seven-day fixed averages for new COVID-19 cases and positive test results have also declined from last week, state Department of Health epidemiologist Angela Dunn said Thursday.
“All of these key indicators are definitely in the right direction,” he said.
While Utah has seen these promising trends to begin the new year, Dunn urged people to continue doing what they do to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Utahns are vaccinated, but there are still not enough people vaccinated for herd immunity, so people must continue to take preventative measures to stop the spread, Dunn added. That means continuing to wear masks, moving away socially, staying home when he’s sick, and practicing good hygiene, he said.
Cox also urged people to upgrade their fabric masks to medical-grade facial covers. Utah leaders are working with President Joe Biden’s administration to potentially acquire more of these types of masks to distribute in Utahns, Cox said.
“Proper quality mask protects the user,” the governor said.
New figures for Thursday indicate a 0.5% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 2,000,023 people tested so far to detect COVID-19 in Utah, 17.1% tested positive for the disease. The number of total tests performed increased by 18,134 as of Thursday, and 10,917 of these were tests from people who had not been previously tested for COVID-19, according to state data.
There are currently 444 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, including 157 in intensive care, according to state data. About 84 percent of Utah’s ICU beds are occupied Thursday, including about 89 percent of the ICU beds at the state’s 16 reference hospitals. According to the health department, about 56% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied.
A total of 267,027 vaccines have been administered in the state since 250,448 on Wednesday. Of these, 43,089 are second doses, according to state data.
Thursday’s total gives Utah 342,445 confirmed cases in total, with 13,279 hospitalizations and 1,620 deaths from the disease. According to the health department, a total of 297,638 cases of COVID-19 in Utah are considered recovered.
Methodology:
Test results now include PCR test data and antigen testing. Positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the health department immediately after confirmation, but negative results may not be reported within 24 to 72 hours.
The total number of cases reported daily by the Utah Department of Health includes all cases of COVID-19 since the Utah outbreak began, including those that are currently infected, those that have recovered from the disease, and those who have died.
Recovered cases are defined as anyone who was diagnosed with COVID-19 three or more weeks ago and who has not died.
The reference hospitals are the 16 hospitals in Utah with the capacity to provide the best COVID-19 health care.
According to the health department, deaths reported by the state usually occur two to seven days before their complaint. Some deaths may be even further back, especially if the person is from Utah but has died in another state.
The health department reports confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 cases as defined in the case reviewed by the Council of State and territorial epidemiologists. Death counts may change as case investigations are completed.
According to the health department, for deaths that are reported as deaths from COVID-19, the person would not have died if they did not have COVID-19.
The data included in this story primarily reflects the state of Utah as a whole. For more localized data, visit your local health district website.
You can learn more about Utah health guidance levels at coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-health-guidance-levels.
The information comes from the Utah Department of Health and coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts. For more information on how the Utah Department of Health compiles and reports COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts and scroll down to the “Data Notes” section at bottom of the page.
Jacob Klopfenstein