Gov. Spencer Cox has urged people to get vaccinated as the way to limit spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant that is currently surging cross the state — and putting Utah once again on the list of the nation’s coronavirus hotspots.

But during a Thursday morning appearance on Washington Post Live, he sounded hesitant about enacting any other public health measures going forward, even if the viral spread continues.

“This is one area where I think we’ve all struggled and gotten this wrong in lots of ways,” he said.

Understanding human psychology has been vital in shaping policy during the pandemic, Cox argued, adding that he wishes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization had invited more behavioral scientists to work alongside the infectious disease experts. In his mind, the coronavirus restrictions of the past aren’t going to fly among a vaccinated population that is just starting to enjoy freedom from the last year of social distancing and masks.

“They’re just not, and they don’t have to,” the governor said. “That’s what’s amazing.”

Even among inoculated individuals who contract the highly contagious Delta variant, the COVID-19 vaccine seems to be effective in preventing deaths and hospitalizations, he said. So rather than shutting down gatherings again, his main push will be to overcome resistance to the vaccine and other barriers that are keeping people from getting the shot.

He acknowledged that Republicans are less likely to get vaccinated than Democrats — a function of the nation’s “incredibly depressing” move toward turning even public health precautions into a political litmus test.

“We are a very red state, a very Republican state,” Cox said. “And certainly in rural Utah, where I live, where I grew up and raised my family, those [vaccination] rates are lower. There’s less trust in the vaccine. And we’re doing everything we can to help take the politics out of the COVID response and certainly out of vaccination.”

Latter-day Saint leaders have also been helpful in encouraging members of Utah’s predominant religion to get inoculated, Cox said. And many churches of different denominations have opened up their parking lots across the state for mobile vaccine clinics.

“I would love any support any religious person can give us,” he said. “We’ll take every ounce of it that they’re willing to give.”

Earlier this week, Cox declared that 70% of Utah’s adult population had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by the Fourth of July — although the state health department website didn’t entirely reflect that milestone and the governor had to include shots administered by federal agencies to reach it.

There are 23 other states that have a higher percentage of adults with at least one shot, according to The New York Times.

Though Cox said he’s explored the idea of vaccine incentives, he thinks the health benefits are by far the most compelling reason to get the shot and believes they will ultimately win over skeptics. Cox noted that some of his personal acquaintances have resisted the shot and have seen their unvaccinated loved ones die or end up in the hospital after contracting COVID-19.

“They could have gotten that shot. It was so easy, and they chose not to. And now they have deep, deep regrets,” the governor said. “And so I think those stories will also start to permeate and hopefully encourage people. I wish we didn’t have to have those stories.”

Leading a drought-stricken state

The Washington Post Live conversation, which focused on leadership during crisis, also covered how Utah is navigating one of the worst droughts in its recorded history.

Cox declared a state of emergency in March and has since issued several executive orders aimed at water conservation — in addition to urging state residents to pray for rain. During Thursday’s interview, the governor stood behind his call for prayer, which has drawn criticism from water conservationists and atheists alike.

“Utah is full of religious people who believe in a higher power,” he said. “The one thing that we can’t control is the weather. ... And so I’ve asked that we petition deity.”

That call isn’t only for adherents to organized religion and is also for people who “believe in karma or the universe, that it’s conspiring in our favor,” said Cox, who added that he hopes the prayers will lead to positive personal change and divine intervention.

But he said state leaders also have their eye on policy changes to deal with future water shortages in the state.

Many cities and towns in Utah actually require residents to plant grass or keep their lawns green, Cox noted. He said his administration and lawmakers are talking about ways of changing that.

Investing in additional water storage is another key component of Cox’s vision for surviving future droughts, adapting to climate change and planning for continued growth and development in a desert state.

“The people that settled these lands understood that,” he said. “They built reservoirs that have lasted for generations and made it possible for us to survive and even thrive in this area. And we have to do more of that.”

Utah’s agricultural producers are suffering during the ongoing drought, including Cox. The governor said he’s only watering about half the land on his family farm in Fairview. He isn’t growing crops on the other half, he said.

The one-two punch of COVID-19 followed by a drought is making survival difficult for many farmers and ranchers and will likely drive up the cost of food across the West, he predicted.

“Those impacts will ripple across the country and parts of the world,” Cox noted, “so that’s something we’re deeply concerned about.”