SALT LAKE CITY – Utahns, ages 65 to 69, can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine several weeks ahead of schedule.
All vaccine suppliers will now accept appointments from those over 65, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced during an update to the COVID-19 pandemic at a news conference Thursday morning.
Vaccinations are progressing rapidly, especially over the past week, Cox said. About 62 percent of Utahns aged 70 or older have taken the first dose of vaccine and some counties have vaccinated higher percentages in that age group, the governor added.
This allowed the state to extend eligibility to people aged 65 and over before March 1, which had been the previous date to extend to that age group.
“We’ve made incredible progress over the last month,” Cox said.
People can go to coronavirus.utah.gov to schedule an appointment with the vaccine. Thursday’s expansion doesn’t apply to people with comorbidities; these people will continue to be eligible from March 1st. The list of comorbidities eligible for the vaccine is available at coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.
Some counties still have more vaccine doses available than others, and it will probably take a long time to get an appointment with the vaccine with extended admission, Cox added. He urged the Utahns to remain patient while trying to get vaccinated.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox spoke at a news conference with PBS Utah Thursday morning. Watch the replay of the event below.
New COVID-19 cases
The number of COVID-19 cases in Utah rose 1,151 on Thursday, with seven more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.
According to the health department, the average number of positive cases per day for seven days is 830. The percentage of positive tests per day for this time period communicated with the “people on people” method is now 13.6% . The seven-day daily positive test rate calculated using the “test over test” method is now 6.3%.
There are currently 258 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Utah, including 105 in intensive care, according to state data. Approximately 74% of the beds in the Utah intensive care unit are filled as of Thursday, including approximately 78% of the ICU beds in the state’s 16 reference hospitals. According to the health department, approximately 54% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied.
A total of 563,608 vaccines have been administered in the state, up from 551,068 on Wednesday. Of these, 179,458 are second doses of the vaccine, according to state data.
The new figures indicate an increase of 0.3% in positive cases since Wednesday. Of the 2,144,709 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah so far, 17% have tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of tests performed rose to 3,652,448 on Thursday, an increase of 21,055 since Wednesday. Of these, 8,121 were tests of people who had not been tested for COVID-19.
The seven deaths reported on Thursday were:
- A woman from Cache County who was between 65 and 84 years old and resided in a long-term care center
- A Grand County man who was between 45 and 64 years old and was hospitalized when he died
- Three men from Salt Lake County who were between 65 and 84 years old and were hospitalized when they died
- A man from Utah County who was over 85 and who was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Weber County who was between 65 and 84 years old and was hospitalized when she died
Thursday’s total gives Utah 364,399 confirmed cases, with 14,343 hospitalizations and 1,813 deaths from disease.
Several counties changed the Utah Transmission Index rating this week. The health department assesses the current COVID-19 situation of a county each week on Wednesdays and announces adjustments on Thursdays. The counties are classified as follows:
- High transmission level: Beaver, Cache, Davis, Emery, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch and Washington.
- Moderate transmission level: Box Elder, Carbon, Duchesne, Millard, Morgan, San Juan, Uintah and Weber
- Low transmission level: Daggett, Garfield, Piute, Rich and Wayne
Increase in vaccines
The number of coronavirus cases in Utah has begun to decline in recent weeks as vaccinations increase. On Wednesday, the state reported for the first time since October fewer than 100 COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
Utah’s vaccine allocation continues to increase each week and currently stands at about 45,000 doses delivered to the state each week, Cox said.
According to the governor, a total of 563,608 doses have been administered in Utah. It rose from 551,068 on Wednesday and nearly 101,000 over the past week, he added.
Utah’s single-day vaccination record was 24,618 doses administered on February 11th. The state still uses all doses of the vaccine within seven days of it being shipped to Utah, he said.
About 91 percent of long-term care center residents have been vaccinated, the governor said. Most deaths from COVID-19 in Utah come from this population, so it is encouraging to see such a high number of vaccines among this group, he added. Among 62% of Utahns aged 70 or older who have taken at least one dose of vaccine, about 15% have had a second dose, Cox said.
Cox said he still hopes all Utah adults who want a COVID-19 vaccine can get one in April or May.
“We feel really good about it,” he said.
There are about 130,000 people in the age group of 65 to 69, so at a rate of 45,000 doses per week, vaccination will take several weeks, Cox added. The state will continue to expand vaccine eligibility by age groups, so the 60-64 age group is likely to be the next eligible population, he said. However, he did not give any timeline to extend eligibility to this next group.
While Cox added that the state has no plans to force Utahns vaccines, he urged people to get them when they are eligible so the state can continue to see a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases.
“We all have a duty to protect each other, that’s how it works,” Cox said.
Salt Lake County vaccine release differs
Although Cox announced that all Utahns age 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, the Salt Lake County release for this age group will differ slightly.
Residents of 69 years of age or older in Salt Lake County will be eligible for the vaccine beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, the Salt Lake County Department of Health announced. County residents age 68 and older will be able to request an appointment beginning at 6 p.m., Friday.
Eligibility will gradually open for other ages in the same way each day over the weekend. Eligibility for those over 67 will start on Saturday at 6pm, people aged 66 and over will be eligible from 6pm on Sunday and people aged 65 and over will be eligible from 6pm of Monday.
People still have to make appointments with the health department; walk-ins are not currently available. For more information and to schedule an appointment, go to SaltLakeHealth.org and click on “COVID Vaccine Information”.
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 both confirmed deaths and probable cases of COVID-19 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 “people on people” method for the seven-day average positive test rate is calculated by dividing the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 by the total number of people tested. The “test over test” method is calculated by dividing the total number of positive tests by the total number of tests administered.
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.