Utah Expands Vaccine Eligibility To Everyone Age 50+
Mar 4, 2021, 6:06 PM | Updated: 7:51 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gov. Spencer Cox announced Thursday the biggest expansion of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program so far, just as the delivery of more vaccine ramps up.
Starting Monday, 700,000 more Utahns will be eligible to sign up to get vaccinated.
Salt Lake and Davis counties opened registration and vaccinations for the new groups Thursday afternoon, while Utah County said some appointments would be available at 7 p.m.
BREAKING: Starting Monday, people ages 50 and older can begin scheduling vaccinations. People with diabetes, chronic kidney disease and obesity will also be eligible.
Posted by KSL 5 TV on Thursday, March 4, 2021
”This is a huge addition to eligibility, which means it’s not going to be possible for everyone in these areas to get an appointment right away,” Cox said in a briefing at the Capitol. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is now accelerating, he said.
“We are having more vaccine come into the state every week — that’s why we feel comfortable doing this,” he said.
The following groups are eligible to register for a COVID-19 shot Monday, or now in Salt Lake and Davis counties:
- Everyone in the state age 50 and older
- Those 16 years and older with certain underlying health conditions.
- Anyone with type I or type II diabetes
- Anyone who is obese with a BMI of 30 or higher
- Anyone with chronic kidney disease.
Cox said if vaccine distribution stays steady, all Utahns will be able to receive the vaccine by early April.
“All of our lives have been impacted in one way or another. The good news though is that this disease is waning, that we are seeing numbers come down, that should be encouraging to all of us,” he said.
In addition, six counties moved from high transmission to moderate transmission on the state health guidance levels. Those are Cache, Davis, Grand, Salt Lake, Sanpete and Wasatch counties.
There are no longer any restrictions on gathering size for the 2.2 million Utahns who live in those counties, as long as everyone is wearing a mask.
State epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said the most common question she gets these days is “which vaccine is best?”
“The best vaccine for you is the one you can get first, regardless of the manufacturer,” she said.
