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Almost 20,000 Utahns received COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, bringing the total number of shots administered in the state to 2.073 million.
Just over 1.268 million Utahns have received at least one dose, and slightly more than 891,000 have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus — they’ve received either both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That’s roughly 39 percent of the state’s 16-and-older population, who are eligible to be vaccinated, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 estimate of Utah’s population.
The Utah Department of Health also reported 327 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and three more deaths caused by the disease.
Vaccine doses administered in past day/total doses administered • 19,908 / 2,073,225.
Utahns fully vaccinated • 891,418.
Cases reported in past day • 327.
Deaths reported in past day • Three: a man 85-plus in Salt Lake County, a man 85-plus in Washington County, and a woman between the ages of 25 and 44 in Weber County.
Tests reported in past day • 4,730 people were tested for the first time. A total of 13,152 people were tested.
Hospitalizations reported in past day • 137. That’s down 11 from Monday. Of those currently hospitalized, 60 are in intensive care units, one fewer than on Monday.
Percentage of positive tests • Under the state’s original method, the rate is 6.9%. That’s higher than the seven-day average of 6.2%.
The state’s new method counts all test results, including repeated tests of the same individual. Tuesday’s rate was 2.5%, lower than the seven-day average of 3.2%.
[Read more: Utah is changing how it measures the rate of positive COVID-19 tests. Here’s what that means.]
Totals to date • 396,004 cases; 2,186 deaths; 16,102 hospitalizations; 2,538,247 people tested.
Also on Tuesday, a leading Utah pediatrician is advising parents to catch their children up on immunizations missed during the COVID-19 pandemic before the summer — when it’s expected that children ages 12 to 15 will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.
Once the vaccine is available for adolescents, it’s likely they will be administered under the same rules that apply to adults, said Dr. Donna Barhorst, medical director of pediatric services at Intermountain Medical Group. One of those rules is to not give other immunizations for the two weeks before or after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Also, she said, many parents postponed or canceled check-ups and other appointments for their children during the height of the pandemic, out of concern of spreading COVID-19 at the doctor’s office.
Now, though, “we’re coming into the spring and summer months, and there’s more time and flexibility in family schedules,” Barhorst said.
