SALT LAKE CITY – Utah has officially delivered more than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, Governor Spencer Cox announced on Twitter on Saturday morning.
This number does not match the figure of 993,168 – with 25,687 higher doses administered on Friday – but the discrepancy may be due to the reporting of delays. Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson reported the total number of “shots in the arms” at 1,015,380.
A spokesman for the health department said the administration uses internal sources that are updated more frequently than public ones and that Sunday’s official public figure will exceed 1 million doses.
Cox said the milestone is “incredible” and “talks about the dedication of our public health teams and private partners.”
“Thank you to everyone who stepped in a historic way,” he said wrote. “We’re just getting started.”
This morning, Utah officially exceeded the 1 million mark for vaccine doses given! This is an incredible milestone and speaks to the dedication of our public health teams and private partners. Thanks to everyone who stepped in a historical way. We’re just getting started.
– Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) March 13, 2021
Subsequently, the health department issued the daily coronavirus update, revealing 491 new confirmed cases and four more deaths in the state.
Overall, this brings Utah to 377,983 confirmed cases and 2,021 associated deaths since the pandemic began.
In the last week, the state has an average of 510 additional cases per day and a positive test rate of 4.1%. There are currently 144 Utahns hospitalized for COVID-19, including 59 in intensive care.
The four deaths reported on Saturday were:
- A woman from Davis County, aged 65 to 84, who was a resident of a long-term care facility
- A Davis County man between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized when he died
- A woman from Washington County, aged between 65 and 84, who was hospitalized
- A man between the ages of 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized when he died and whose county of origin is unknown
Currently, Utahns aged 50 and over are eligible to schedule a coronavirus vaccine, as are Utahns with certain underlying medical conditions. A list of qualification conditions is available here.
On April 1, Utah plans to extend vaccine eligibility to every adult who wants one.