SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced Thursday that eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine will be extended to Utahns 50 and older, as well as residents with the most comorbidities in the state. from Monday.
In addition to Utahns 50 years of age or older, residents with type 1 or 2 diabetes, a body mass index greater than 30, or chronic kidney disease may also receive the vaccine.
“That’s a big addition to eligibility,” Cox said.
After spending months at Utah’s highest restriction level for COVID-19, Salt Lake and Davis counties will move to the moderate transmission level Thursday, the governor also announced. That means restrictions will loosen in both counties, as infection rates have continued to decline statewide over the past month.
For counties with a moderate level of transmission, it is recommended to limit social gatherings to 25 people or less. Masks are still needed for interior public configuration and for exterior configuration when social distancing is not possible.
For restaurants in moderately transmitted counties, a 6-foot spacing between parties in waiting areas is still required. Guests need masks in restaurants unless they are actively eating or drinking. At bars, guests must wear masks if they are less than 6 feet from another party and must wear them if they are not eating or drinking.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox offered an update on the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday morning. Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson and Utah State Department of Health state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn also spoke at the event.
Watch the replay of the press conference below.
New COVID-19 cases
The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah has risen by 611 on Thursday, with 12 more deaths and nearly 26,000 more vaccines, according to the Utah Department of Health. Seven of the deaths occurred before Feb. 11, but were still being investigated by the state medical office, according to the health department.
According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day seven days a day is 558. The percentage of positive tests per day for the time period communicated with the “people on people” method is now 10%. The positive test rate per seven-day day calculated using the “test over test” method is now 4.8%.
There are currently 203 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Utah, according to state data. A total of 785,523 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 741,297 on Wednesday.
Thursday’s totals give Utah 373,319 confirmed cases in total, with 14,816 total hospitalizations and 1,965 deaths from the disease.
This story will be updated.
__