SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Although all adults will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine on April 1, Utah’s Lt. Governor tells ABC4 those same adults might not be able to get one if demand outpaces supply.
“It is possible that you might be eligible to get a vaccine, but you might have to wait in line a little bit to get an appointment scheduled,” says Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson.
Henderson this weekend celebrated the “milestone” of one million vaccine shots for Utahns, but acknowledged Sunday the need is far greater if Utah is to reach herd immunity.
“We have around 350,000 people who are fully vaccinated in the state of Utah,” says Henderson, who added that Utah needs some 1.6 million fully vaccinated statewide to reach herd immunity.
Still, she says, the vaccination numbers so far have been impressive.
“80 percent of our 70 plus year olds have been vaccinated,” said Henderson.
And, she says, those who oppose getting vaccinated appear to be softening in that opposition. The reason? A sense that herd immunity will allow all of us to get back to life as we knew it.
“This is a means to an end. This means they can gather with their family members and loved ones again, this means eventually we can take these stupid masks off,” she said.
