(Paul Nelson, KSL Newsradio, file)
SALT LAKE CITY – People looking for a COVID-19 vaccine now have more options. The Utah Department of Health is partnering with three major health care companies to help distribute the vaccine to Utahns in need.
Officials with UDOH always intended to branch out to hospitals and clinics when the local health departments received more vaccines than they would normally be able to distribute. Spokesman Tom Hudachko says that’s what’s happening, now. The first 122,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are expected to arrive in Utah soon, and local health departments are able to administer roughly 120,000 doses per week.
So, UDOH is partnering with Intermountain Healthcare, Nomi Health and University of Utah Health. Hudachko says those companies have great working relationships with people all over the state, and they’re capable of running large-scale clinics. Each of these companies will be allowed to maintain their own booking systems, but Hudachko says they can coordinate with each other to determine where the vaccines should go.
“There is a constant line of communication between all of these providers. When we see that a provider is short, or a provider maybe has more than they need, those doses are transferred,” Hudachko says.
Seven locations will be offering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as soon as technicians can make it available. Those locations include…
Doctor Kristin Dascomb says they’ll also offer the Pfizer vaccine, and they’re trying to administer as many doses as possible.
Two locations are being set aside for COVID-19 vaccines, for now. They include…
However, Doctor Richard Orlandi says they’ll extend vaccines to their Farmington, South Jordan and Sugar House next week.
Orlandi says they’re trying a different method to reach out to those who can get a vaccine.
“We are identifying patients through their electronic health records who are eligible for vaccination,” he says. Patients will be notified through their MyChart accounts.
Workers at Nomi Health are partnering with Larry H. Miller Group and Megaplex Theaters to house their clinics.
“These sites provide the Pfizer vaccine, which can be given to those 16 and 17 years old,” says Dr. June Steely with Nomi Health.
For now, clinics can be found in the Megaplex Theaters in Lehi, Vineyard, South Jordan and West Valley City. Steely expects clinics to open in the Farmington theater, soon. She says technicians are finding the best ways to use those spaces.
She says, “For some of them, the observation are is in the theater, itself. For others, it’s more in the lobby or in the ballroom.”
State officials have set up a “one-stop shopping” website where people can find out where they can get their vaccine.
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Gov Cox: J&J vaccine should be available in Utah this week