A woman gets her temperature taken before receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at the Mountain America Exposition Center in Sandy on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Laura Seitz, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — All Utahns will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine next Wednesday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Thursday.
“We always want to keep demand above availability,” Cox said during his monthly news conference.
Cox acknowledged opening vaccine eligibility to all Utahns won’t come without some hiccups.
“We’re also concerned about the equity piece, about hard-to-reach populations in rural places in frontier areas in our state and in some of our multicultural communities where we’ve seen lower uptake and getting those doses out,” Cox explained.
“The way to do that is when we go into those places we want to be able to vaccinate everyone. That’s the best way to do that, that’s the best way to increase the equitable distribution of vaccines throughout the state.”
Cox said because of that, state and local health departments asked the date for eligibility to be opened for every adult Utahn earlier than the previous April date.
“We spent the evening in discussions with our vaccination partners, and collectively made the decision that as of next Wednesday, we will authorize vaccinations for every adult in the state.”
Cox reiterated this does not mean that there will be enough vaccines for everyone in the state next week. He said it may take a few weeks for residents to get a time scheduled.
“If you’re over the age of 50 or have an underlying co-morbidity, continue to schedule your vaccines. If you’re younger than 50 please do not schedule those vaccination slots until next Wednesday,” Cox said.
COVID-19 coronaviruses transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commonly asked questions, World Health Organization