● The video message begins at about four minutes in.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 28, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday addressed Utah’s COVID-19 successes, and his hopes for more progress in fighting the pandemic in the near future.
Cox talked about Utah’s efforts to fight the new virus, which began nearly a year ago, he said.
“Even the best experts were telling us a year ago that it would be at least 18 months, maybe a couple years before we could have vaccines that work,” he said, noting that as of Thursday, Utah had administered 267,027 doses of the vaccines.
Cox commended the Biden administration for increasing the allotment of the Moderna vaccine to Utah starting next week. The governor shared his hope that all Utah residents age 70 and older would get a chance to be vaccinated within the next month, and that two other vaccines — already in production — could be approved for use in America by the beginning of March.
One of them, AstraZeneca, has already been approved and is being administered overseas, he said.
Cox said with increased doses of vaccines and possible approval of additional types of vaccines, more of Utah’s population would become eligible for vaccination in a shorter time. Cox said he hopes to announce a new plan next week for which age groups and sufferers of comorbidities will be eligible next.
Asked how sufferers would be confirm their comorbidities in order to qualify, Cox said increased medical paperwork would cost more time and workers to process, so it was likely to be an honor system plan. Cox said he knew some people would try to cheat the system, but he hoped most would be honest in reporting their medical challenges.
Cox said he was “more optimistic now than even was a week ago, and more optimistic than at any time last year” about success in fighting the virus.
Lt. Gov. Diedre Henderson talked about the work being done at each of Utah’s 13 health departments, and how several are ramping up their efficiency with a little help from the state.
Henderson also talked about efforts to get vaccination standby lists in cases where people miss their second appointments, so doses will not be wasted. She also talked about efforts to identify homebound people who would need doses taken to them.
Cox also mentioned the results of a Utah Department of Health study released Thursday, which found that suicides and overdoses are not increasing so far due to the pandemic. He commended Utahns for talking care of each other.
To see the full presentation, click on the video at the top of this article.
