SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Department of Health officials say they will receive thousands of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government next week.
Overall, it’s a 30% jump from previous weeks, or about 5,500 additional doses – a solid increase, given that Utah receives about 33,000 doses a week.
“We were a little surprised to see that,” said Rich Lakin, immunization director for the Utah Department of Health. “If they can send us more vaccines, that’s great.”
Currently, tens of thousands of Utahns aged 70 and over are trying to get the vaccine – so many that health department sites across the state have collapsed.
Lakin said he did not know why he was receiving additional doses or whether this would continue in the future.
“Unfortunately, we only know from week to week what the federal government will send us. So it is very difficult to plan for the future when you do not know how many doses you will receive,” Lakin said. “I’m very hesitant that we’re going to make a 30% leap from here on out.”
Lakin said they will decide how to distribute the extra doses and who they will go to on Thursday. It is uncertain whether they will be shared between health departments and could go to others on the waiting list.
“There are a lot of over 70 people who need to be vaccinated who can’t go to local health departments, and if we can reach those populations at the same time, it also reduces the burden and death due to COVID-19,” Lakin said.
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