Gov. Cox: 70% Of Utah Adults Now Vaccinated Against COVID-19

UPDATE: State officials reported a misinterpretation of federal vaccine data on July 12, resulting in a revised total of less than 70% of Utahns with one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Spencer Cox issued an apology and the Utah Department of Health detailed the error in a report. Read more here.

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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has hit its goal of vaccinating 70% of residents age 18 and up by July 4, according to Gov. Spencer Cox.

The Utah Department of Health reported 65.2% of Utah adults had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of July 4. However, Cox said that number does not take into account federally administered doses, including those administered by the VA, Department of Defense or Indian Health Services or shots given to those in correctional facilities.

🧵 Big news: We’ve hit the 70% vaccination goal for Utahns 18+! 1/ pic.twitter.com/LYdg6ddqwb

— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) July 6, 2021

Including the federally administered doses, 1,596,999 out of 2,274,774 Utahns above the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or 70.2%.

“This is truly a milestone worth celebrating,” read part of a thread on the governor’s Twitter page. Cox also thanked UDOH, local health departments and those in the health care industry that helped Utah reach this goal.

“While we hit our ‘70% by July 4’ goal, we’re not out of the woods yet,” Cox said. “Unfortunately, the pandemic is not over. “We’re still very concerned about the recent rise in cases and hospitalizations, and some parts of the state, including many of our rural areas and communities of color, remain below 70% vaccinated. We’ve got to keep working to exceed 70% statewide.”

ICUs at Utah’s referral centers, which are major hospitals with the ability to provide the best care for COVID-19 patients, were 81.7% full on Friday, passing the state’s utilization warning threshold of 77%.

Over 250 Utahns were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday — up from 130 on May 31 and the highest since mid-February, according to Cox.

The rolling seven-day average for positive tests was 401 on Friday. On June 1, Utah’s rolling seven-day average was 200 cases.

“The data also indicates the vast majority of new cases are in unvaccinated people, which is driving the recent increase in COVID-19 cases,” UDOH said.