SALT LAKE CITY – Utah has officially delivered more than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, Governor Spencer Cox announced on Twitter Saturday morning.
That number doesn’t quite match the Utah Department of Health’s number of 993,168 – 25,687 more doses administered than Friday – but the difference may be due to delays in reporting. Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson reported the total number of “shots in weapons” at 1,015,380.
A health department spokesperson said the administration is using internal sources that are updated more often than public sources, and Sunday’s official count will exceed 1 million doses.
Cox said the milestone is “incredible” and “speaks to the commitment of our public health teams and private partners.”
“Thanks to everyone who left in a historic way,” he said wrote“We have just started.”
This morning, Utah officially crossed the 1 million mark for delivered vaccine doses! This is an incredible milestone and speaks to the dedication of our public health teams and private partners. Thanks to everyone who left in a historic way. We have just started.
– Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) March 13, 2021
Later, the health department released its daily coronavirus update, revealing 491 new confirmed cases and an additional four deaths in the state.
In total, that brings Utah to 377,983 confirmed cases and 2,021 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
In the past week, the state has an average of 510 additional cases per day and a positive test rate of 4.1%. There are currently 144 Utahns hospitalized for COVID-19, 59 of which are in intensive care.
The four deaths reported Saturday were from:
- A Davis County woman aged 65 to 84 who lived in a long-term care facility
- A Davis County man aged 65 to 84 who was hospitalized when he died
- A woman in Washington County between the ages of 65 and 84 who was hospitalized
- A man aged between 45 and 64 who was not hospitalized when he died and whose homeland is unknown
Currently, Utahns ages 50 and older are eligible for a coronavirus vaccine, as are Utahns with certain underlying medical conditions. A list of qualifying conditions is available here.
On April 1, Utah plans to expand the vaccination option to any adult who wants one.