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SALT LAKE CITY — Shortly after the Utah Department of Health reported 2,152 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and 14 additional deaths from the virus, it held a panel discussing the logistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
Utah health officials emphasized that the efficacy and safeness of Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, outlining the process it underwent for its approval. The special advisory panel "thought about whether or not this vaccine was worth it to prevent COVID in the context of the possible side effects, and the overwhelming evidence was that this vaccine was safe and effective and should be going forward to be given to kids," said Dr. Alicia Nolan, Utah's state epidemiologist.
The CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the CDC panels recommendation Tuesday night, a move anticipated by state health departments across the country.
Utah Health Department executive director Nathan Checketts said that the department had been "looking forward and preparing for this day." Doses were made available to states in an allocation and ordering process, with the state entering that process in late October. The state has ordered 109,000 doses that have been shipped or in the process of being shipped for the 5-to-11 age group, Checketts said.
The first 50,000 of those doses arrived Tuesday and have already been sent to providers throughout the state.
The second and third waves are expected to arrive throughout the week, he added. The largest number of doses is heading for local health departments, accounting for almost two-thirds of the doses are being supplied to them.
"They've been a historic partner related to vaccine distribution," Checketts said.
The rest of the doses will be allocated to the state health department, health care systems, pharmacies and family providers.
When and where can I get an appointment for my child?
Utah health officials said vaccinations began as early as Wednesday morning. Vaccines are expected to have arrived or begin to arrive in local health departments Wednesday and Thursday.
Local health department websites should have appointments available on their page by Wednesday afternoon, but scheduling an appointment in some local health departments may extend into the next week, Jill Parker of the Utah Association of Local Health Departments said.
"We learned a lot in the rollout of adult vaccine about 18 months ago, and hopefully we've been able to modify and change our systems to better meet the needs of the public," Parker added.
Health officials said through the process of vaccination, large distribution areas have been helpful. And although the departments have learned a lot throughout the pandemic, they anticipate differences while dealing with the age group.
"We needed this to look different than a traditional model that we have used. We also know, with 5- to 11-year-olds, how we vaccinate children looks different. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer. Are they going to be able to stay in a car, do we need to get them out? Emotionally, how are they doing?" Nolan asked.
She continued, "We deal with this with infant immunization and childhood immunizations in local health departments. And so we're taking those skills and applying them now to this rollout."
And while local health departments may be working on how the system will proceed, Parker emphasized that "in every health district across the state, families should be either able to get a vaccine or be able to schedule an appointment for a vaccine."
Utah health officials noted that those who may not know where their local health department is located can visit the Utah Association of Local Boards of Health website and click their county to locate it.
Outreach clinics will also be hosted throughout schools and communities to ensure equal access to the vaccine, officials added. American Indian and Alaskan Native communities both on and off reservations — in collaboration with tribes within the Indian Health System — will be part of that outreach focus.
Who gets priority?
The answer can be complicated. In terms of allocation, health systems like Primary Children's Hospital were given first priority amid the first wave of doses, due to the high-risk population of children in those systems and the need for skilled health care workers.
But beyond the first wave of doses within the age group, there won't be a system of prioritization.
"There's no prioritization. If you think about where many of these vaccines will be administered in a regular doctor's office, they care for both high-risk and healthy children," said Utah Health Department Deputy Director Michele Hoffman. "They're going to be accessing smaller numbers of the vaccine such that there really isn't a need to prioritize at that individual practice level."
Wednesday's data
Of the additional 2,152 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday, school-aged children account for 429 cases. Children from the ages 5 to 10 are reported as 203 cases, children 11 to 13 include 117 cases, and teens 14 to 17 account for 109 cases.
Health officials reported 3,783,453 total vaccines administered, an additional 12,366 more vaccines administered than Wednesday.
In the last 28 days, people in Utah who are unvaccinated are at 15 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 10.8 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 5 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people, according to health officials.
Since Feb. 1, Utahns who are unvaccinated are at 8.6 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 7.2 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 3.6 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than vaccinated people.
Currently, there are 554 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 1,469 per day. The rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of "people over people" is 17.7%. The number of people tested is recorded by the department at 3,734,619 total people with an additional 11,493 people tested since Tuesday.
Of the cases reported Wednesday, 544 were considered "breakthrough," meaning they were patients who had been fully vaccinated more than two weeks before testing positive. The state confirmed 116 more breakthrough hospitalizations and four breakthrough deaths.
The latest deaths include:
- A Utah County man between the ages of 65 and 84, who was hospitalized when he died.
- A Uintah County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Utah County woman, older than 85, long-term care facility resident
- A Utah County woman, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Uintah County man, older than 85, not hospitalized.
- A Weber County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Summit County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Weber County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County woman, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County man, 45-64, hospitalized.
- A Utah County woman, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Box Elder County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County man, 65-84, hospitalized.
- A Salt Lake County woman, older than 85, hospitalized.
