SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – In his weekly COVID-19 press briefing, Governor Spencer J. Cox highlighted several developments in Utah’s efforts to distribute the vaccine and made a major announcement on making the vaccine much easier to obtain.
Effective on Thursday, Utah businesses will be able to host their own mobile vaccination clinics on-site, at no cost to employers.
Describing this as putting the race against the virus “on steroids,” Cox made the announcement during his weekly press conference, while urging Utahns to continue to receive the vaccine.
Employers who are interested in hosting a mobile vaccination clinic will be able to sign up online. While giving the news, Cox urged interested parties to be somewhat patient as the rollout for this new program made have kinks to work out, but that getting the schedule built out is a priority.
Cox made the announcement while also boasting that he had joined the legion of adult Utahns who had completed the full vaccination process that day. Cox encouraged those who had been fully vaccinated to “act like it,” by enjoying many of the activities such as hanging out with friends and family that they may have missed.
Cox was followed in the press conference by state epidemiologist Angela Dunn, who echoed Cox’s pleas to Utahns to get vaccinated. Dunn, who recently took a position with Salt Lake County, gave a transmission report, describing an outbreak at Elk Ridge Middle School in the Jordan School District, in which 40 new cases were reported over the last two weeks. Dunn added that getting teenagers and young adults vaccinated would be increasingly important.
Both Cox and Dunn stated that the supply of vaccines available, including the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which has returned safely to usage in the state, is higher than the demand. Cox stated that there “should be no excuse” for anyone to get the vaccine and that getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent future pandemics.
