Governor Cox issues call for volunteers when vaccine arrives

Dr. Angela Dunn speaks at a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune).

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday at his media briefing at the Capitol that the state is expecting a surge in March in vaccine availability, with the possibility enough vaccine for every adult in Utah who wants it. He said it will take an enormous amount of planning and a great deal of volunteer help from citizens.

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune).

“We’re going to need you, we’re going to need many of you,” Gov. Cox stated. “We’re going to have to coordinate this in a way that makes sense and that we can use the volunteer workforce that we have here in the state.”

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said those able to volunteer for four hour shifts are encouraged to register at utahresponds.org.

“We need a lot of people and we need medical professionals and others who can help and who want to assist,” Henderson added. “When you go there and you sign up, you can see areas where we have need and you can get your credentials verified, you can be assigned to assist in a place where you are most needed.”

In Utah’s three northern counties, 69 people have lost their lives to the coronavirus: 40 in Box Elder County, 29 in Cache County and none in Rich County.

The Bear River Health Department Wednesday reported 62 positive coronavirus cases in the district with 19,149 cases since the start of the pandemic.

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson speaks at a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune).

There have been 738 patients in the district who have been hospitalized: 517 in Cache County, 216 in Box Elder County and five in Rich County. There are 18,229 who have recovered among the 19,149 total cases in the district.

With the nine new coronavirus fatalities Thursday, the new state report lists 1,774 Utah deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Thursday, state officials announced 20,244 more Utahns were vaccinated, so now 462,720 vaccine doses have been administered statewide.

The testing of 8,807 people in Utah since Wednesday found 1,242 new positive cases for a positivity rate of 14 percent the last 24 hours.

There are 327 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, which is four more than Wednesday, and 128 of them are in ICU units. From the beginning of the outbreak hospitalizations now total 14,054.

The most recent Idaho report indicates 166,553 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There have been  1,791 deaths in the state with 1,039 positive tests in Franklin County, 338 cases in Bear Lake County and 316 in Oneida County.

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