The federal COVID-19 Public Health Service Act officially expires May 11. With the end of the emergency order, we’ll archive this newsletter, and our social media profiles (@UtahCoronavirus).

Thank you for doing your part to stay safe and healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic! We’d also like to thank the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (Utah DHHS) and our colleagues in healthcare for their tireless efforts to keep Utahns informed.

Keep up with health news by subscribing to the Utah DHHS newsletter. Follow @UtahDHHS on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Utah DHHS shares information to help you and your family live safe and healthy lives.

Travel vaccines: Your ticket to safe and fun travel

Are you planning a trip outside of the United States? It’s a good idea to find out the recommended immunizations for the place you’re visiting. 

To find out which vaccines are needed for your destination, go to:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Travelers’ Health

You’ll find a wealth of travel information at this site: food and water recommendations, disease outbreak areas, recommended precautions, and much more. It’s a great place to start when planning a trip.

Follow @UtahDHHS or subscribe to their emails for updates about vaccines for travelers.

Taking long COVID one day at a time

One of the downsides of getting COVID is the risk of long-term health effects. Long COVID has a wide range of symptoms and can last for weeks, months, and even years. It can happen to anyone infected with COVID. It’s more common among people who were not vaccinated, are in high-risk groups, or experienced severe illness from COVID.
 
Common symptoms of long COVID (not a complete list):

• Body aches
• Changes in menstrual cycles
• Cough
• Depression or anxiety
• Diarrhea 
• Dizziness when standing
• Fatigue
• Fast or pounding heart (heart palpitations)
• Fever
• Hair loss
• Headache
• Loss or change in taste or smell
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sleep problems
• Stomach pain
• Rash
• Symptoms that worsen after physical or mental activities (post-exertional malaise)

If you have long COVID symptoms, it’s a good idea to visit a doctor. They can diagnose long COVID or rule out other causes of your symptoms, and they can help develop a treatment plan for you. Under certain circumstances, long COVID may be classified as a disability.

Some clinics in Utah are studying the effects of long COVID. Your doctor may refer you to one of these speciality clinics. Clinic visits and treatment may not be covered by your health insurance. You should ask your insurance company about potential costs before you go.

Support groups are a great resource for people with long COVID. People with chronic conditions like long COVID can experience distress, anxiety, and depression. There are local groups providing peer support with people who share similar experiences. Some meet in person, and some exist on social media.

For more information about long COVID clinics or support groups, visit:
https://coronavirus.utah.gov/covid19-long-haulers/

In the future, you can find news about COVID by following @UtahDHHS or subscribing to their email list.
 
Thanks again for all you’ve done these past few years to keep yourself and others healthy!  
 
Sincerely,
The Utah Department of Health & Human Services
and the Utah COVID-19 Response Team

The vaccine has been proven to be safe and highly effective since it first became  available under emergency use last December. Full FDA approval is the final step in a rigorous approval process to confirm the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. 

The FDA’s announcement should provide confidence to anyone who may have hesitated to get the vaccine while it was under emergency use. We strongly encourage you to get vaccinated and help end the pandemic. We also strongly encourage healthcare providers who haven’t offered COVID-19 vaccines at their practice before now, to take the necessary steps to enroll as vaccine providers as soon as possible.

Getting full FDA approval for any medication, including vaccines, is a highly rigorous process. Vaccine manufacturers must meet high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.

As part of the approval process the FDA analyzed effectiveness data from 20,000 people who received the vaccine and 20,000 people who received a placebo. The agency also analyzed safety data from 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo. As of today, more than 200 million Americans have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That includes nearly 1.8 million Utahns.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine remains available for people ages 12-15 years through FDA’s emergency use authorization. In addition, the third dose of the vaccine that has been proposed by the federal administration would likely be done through an emergency use authorization.

For more information on FDA’s approval please visit https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine

For more information on where to get the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit our vaccine distribution page.

In response to this guidance, The Utah Department of Health has issued the following statement:

“The order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says passengers and drivers must wear a mask on school buses operated by public and private school systems regardless of vaccination status. This order did not come from the Utah Department of Health and the department is not responsible to enforce this order. Local education agencies will need to determine how to respond.“

The full order, as well as a list of FAQs, including about school buses, can be found on the CDC’s website here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html

More guidance related to schools can be found here: https://coronavirus.utah.gov/education/

As is the case with all vaccines, the UDOH recommends providers wait for final guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prior to administering COVID-19 booster doses to immunocompromised patients.

“We are excited about the FDA’s announcement regarding the use of boosters for people who are immunocompromised. We will be following today’s ACIP meeting closely in order to provide additional guidance on who will benefit most from an additional dose,” said Dr. Leisha Nolen, UDOH state epidemiologist. “We are working to calculate the size of this population, but we currently have a large supply of vaccine in the state, and providers have the ability to order additional doses if needed.”

ACIP is currently scheduled to meet later this morning to discuss booster doses for people who are immunocompromised.

To find a vaccination site near you, visit our vaccine distribution page.

Safeguard this card as it has personal information on it, but also can be used if you are in a situation that requires you to show proof of vaccination.

What to do if you lose your vaccination card

The process for requesting COVID-19 vaccine confirmation is the same as for any vaccine.  

1. First contact the provider that administered your vaccine and ask for a replacement. The provider will have record of your vaccination and be able to quickly provide a new one.
2. Personal or family immunization records can be accessed digitally through the Docket mobile phone app.  Through the Docket app you can review past immunization reports, track upcoming shots, and share official immunization reports.
   • To get started, download the free app by searching “Docket” on the App Store or on Google Play.   Or, go directly through Docket. 
3. Contact your local health department and ask them to print an Official USIIS Personal Utah Immunization Record for you. All Utah local health departments use or are connected to Utah Statewide Immunization Information System (USIIS).
4. You can request your own or children’s immunization record by submitting the USIIS Immunization Record Request form. This form must be filled out completely and notarized. You can submit your form using the information below:
   • Mail: Immunization / USIIS Program
     P O Box 142012
     Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2012
   • Email: immunize@utah.gov
   • Fax: (801) 538-9440
     Immunization Record Release

It’s still unclear whether individuals will be required to carry their vaccination cards with them. Governor Cox has said vaccination passports will not be required on state college campuses or for entering state buildings. He said it would be left up to private businesses whether to require proof of vaccination or not.

Get more information on the COVID-19 vaccine on our vaccine information page.

Information for this post was taken from the state’s immunization website, more information on requesting proof of vaccination can be found at immunize.utah.gov.

Two weeks ago, the New York Yankees made the news when several fully vaccinated people in their organization tested positive for COVID-19. Here in Utah, we’ve also had a small number of confirmed cases of fully vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19.
 
A small number of people who are vaccinated will still test positive for COVID-19. These are called “breakthrough cases.” This is to be expected. No vaccine is 100% effective but it’s important to keep in mind that the vast majority of “breakthrough cases” don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19 or very mild symptoms. This means the vaccines are still a success and are doing their job at keeping people from getting seriously ill. The polio vaccine is another example of a vaccine that doesn’t completely stop the polio virus from growing in our bodies but is extremely effective at preventing the disease.

CDC is working with state and local health departments to investigate COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases. They’ll watch for patterns, trends, underlying health conditions, and more to better understand breakthrough cases.

If I can get COVID-19 anyway, why get the vaccine?

The COVID-19 vaccine is extraordinarily effective at preventing serious illness in people who get sick with COVID-19. From the Yankees example above, all but one of the people were asymptomatic, which means they didn’t have any symptoms, and the other person was only mildly ill. A growing body of evidence suggests that people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to have asymptomatic infection or transmit COVID-19 to others.

Looking back to January 1, about the time when we started opening vaccinations to broader segments of the public:

• There have been 126,697 total COVID-19 cases identified in Utah. 99.3% (n=125,865) of them have been unvaccinated people.
• There have been 5,349 people hospitalized. 98.3% (n=5,256) of them were unvaccinated.
• And there have been 758 deaths. 99.6% (n=755) of them were unvaccinated.

What can be done to prevent breakthrough cases?

The most important thing you can do is get BOTH doses of your vaccine (for Pfizer and Moderna) and take precautions, like wearing a mask around other people, until you’re fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated means it’s been 2 weeks since your final dose. For Pfizer and Moderna, that’s 2 weeks after your 2nd dose. For Johnson & Johnson, it’s 2 weeks after your first and only dose.

It’s possible for a person to get sick with COVID-19 if they’re infected just before or just after being vaccinated because their body hasn’t had time to build full protection from the virus yet. With variants still spreading across the globe, it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated. Research shows the vaccines are effective against the variants identified so far.

Get the facts from your Doctor

We’ve been on the road throughout the state asking your local family doctors, pediatricians, nurses, pharmacists, and even some of your neighbors about the COVID-19 vaccine. We’ve created a series of brief videos of their advice and their answers to common questions. None of their answers are scripted; these are genuine, honest conversations. Hear for yourself what they have to say, or share with a friend or family member who has similar questions.

El Departamento de Salud de Utah (UDOH) recomienda a los proveedores de vacunas de todo el estado que se familiaricen con las recomendaciones de los CDC para vacunar a este grupo de edad y que empiecen a ofrecer las vacunas en cuanto puedan.

Aproximadamente 215.000 niños de Utah están en este grupo de edad y ahora son elegibles para recibir la vacuna. 

“Cuanto antes empiecen los proveedores a vacunar a estos niños, mejor”, dijo el gobernador Spencer J. Cox. “Muchos padres en Utah han estado esperando esta noticia para poder asegurarse de que sus familias estén más protegidas. Esto permitirá que las reuniones con la familia y los amigos sean más seguras y que el verano sea épico”.

Desde el comienzo de la pandemia, 23.419 niños de Utah de entre 12 y 15 años han sido diagnosticados con el COVID-19. Aproximadamente 201 niños de 12 a 15 años necesitaron ser hospitalizados. De los que requirieron hospitalización, 14 desarrollaron el síndrome inflamatorio multisistémico en niños (MIS-C). El MIS-C es una enfermedad grave que puede provocar la muerte.

“A pesar del pensamiento popular, muchos niños contraen COVID-19. Algunos de ellos se enferman lo suficiente como para requerir tratamiento en hospitales y algunos sufren efectos secundarios graves y potencialmente duraderos en tasas similares a las de los adultos, incluso cuando eran asintomáticos o sólo tenían síntomas leves en el momento de su infección”, dijo la Dra. Michelle Hofmann, subdirectora del UDOH. “Proteger a todos estos niños con la vacuna es un paso muy importante en la respuesta al COVID-19”.

Los CDC también han modificado sus recomendaciones sobre la administración de las vacunas contra el COVID-19 al mismo tiempo que otras vacunas. La vacuna contra el COVID-19 puede administrarse ahora simultáneamente con otras vacunas.

“En los últimos 15 meses hemos observado un aumento en el número de niños de Utah a los que se les deben aplicar las vacunas de rutina”, dijo Rich Lakin, director del programa de inmunización del UDOH. “Con este cambio de los CDC tenemos una importante oportunidad no sólo de vacunar a los adolescentes contra el COVID-19, sino también de poner a estos niños al día con otras vacunas de rutina”.

La FDA autorizó el uso de la vacuna en niños de entre 12 y 15 años a principios de esta semana tras revisar los datos de los ensayos clínicos de Pfizer-BioNTech. Los ensayos incluyeron a 2.260 participantes de este grupo de edad. De ellos, 1.131 participantes adolescentes recibieron la vacuna y 1.129 recibieron un placebo salino.

La FDA ha informado de que no se produjo ningún caso de COVID-19 entre los que recibieron la vacuna y 16 casos de COVID-19 entre los que recibieron el placebo. La vacuna fue 100% efectiva en la prevención del COVID-19 en el ensayo clínico.

Los efectos secundarios más comúnmente reportados, que normalmente duraron de 1 a 3 días, en los adolescentes participantes en el ensayo clínico fueron dolor en el lugar de la inyección, cansancio, dolor de cabeza, escalofríos, dolor muscular, fiebre y dolor en las articulaciones.

La FDA ha actualizado las Hojas informativas para los proveedores de atención médica que administran la vacuna (proveedores de vacunación) y para los Consumidores y cuidadores con información que refleja el uso de la vacuna en la población de adolescentes, incluyendo los beneficios y los riesgos de la vacuna contra el COVID-19 de Pfizer-BioNTech.

Para obtener más información sobre cómo encontrar la vacuna contra el COVID-19 en Utah, visite https://coronavirus.utah.gov/espanol/

Para encontrar un sitio de vacunación, visite nuestra página web de distribución de vacunas.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) recommends vaccine providers throughout the state become familiar with the CDC’s recommendations for vaccinating this age group, and to begin offering vaccines as soon as they are able.

Approximately 215,000 Utah children fall into this age group and are now eligible to receive the vaccine.

“The sooner providers start vaccinating these kids the better,” said Gov. Spencer J. Cox. “Many Utah parents have been waiting for this news so they can make sure their families are more fully protected. This will mean safer gatherings with family and friends and an epic summer.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 23,419 Utah children ages 12-15 have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Approximately 201 12-15 year olds needed to be hospitalized. Of those requiring hospitalization in that age group, 14 developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C is a serious condition that can lead to death.

“Despite popular thinking, many kids get COVID-19. Some of them get sick enough to require treatment in hospitals and some suffer from serious, potentially long-lasting side effects at rates similar to adults, even when they were asymptomatic or had only mild symptoms at the time of their infection,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the UDOH. “Protecting these kids by getting them vaccinated is such an important milestone in the COVID-19 response.”

The CDC also adjusted its recommendations on administering COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as other vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine may now be given simultaneously with other vaccines.

“Over the past 15 months we have seen an increase in the number of Utah kids who are overdue for routine immunizations,” said Rich Lakin, immunization program manager at the UDOH. “With this change from the CDC we have an important opportunity to not only vaccinate adolescents against COVID-19, but to also catch these kids up on other routine vaccinations.”

The FDA authorized use of the vaccine in children ages 12-15 earlier this week after reviewing data from Pfizer-BioNTech’s clinical trials. The trials included 2,260 participants in this age group. Of these, 1,131 adolescent participants received the vaccine and 1,129 received a saline placebo.

The FDA reports no cases of COVID-19 occurred among vaccine recipients and 16 cases of COVID-19 occurred among placebo recipients. The vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 in the clinical trial.

The most commonly reported side effects, which typically lasted 1-3 days, in the adolescent clinical trial participants were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever and joint pain.

The FDA has updated the Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering the Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) and for Recipients and Caregivers with information to reflect the use of the vaccine in the adolescent population, including the benefits and risks of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

For more information on how to find a COVID-19 vaccine in Utah visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/

To find a vaccine site near you, visit our vaccine distribution page.

The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is encouraged by today’s news that the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age.

As is the case with all vaccines, the UDOH recommends providers wait for final guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prior to administering COVID-19 vaccine to anyone ages 12-15 years. 

ACIP is currently scheduled to meet this Wednesday, May 12, and is expected to issue its recommendation during the meeting.  Individual providers will determine how quickly they can begin administering vaccine following ACIP’s guidance.

“There are approximately 215,000 Utah children in this age group and expanding vaccine access to them will push us even closer to the finish line in our battle against COVID-19,” said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the UDOH. “Data presented by Pfizer indicate its vaccine is highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in this age group. In fact, none of the clinical trial participants who received the vaccine ever became infected with COVID-19.”

To find a vaccination site and learn about Utah vaccine eligibility, visit our vaccine distribution webpage.

The thresholds required for terminating public health orders are:

• A 14-day case rate less than 191 per 100,000 people (currently 163.4)
• A 7-day average COVID-19 ICU utilization less than 15% (currently 11.2%) 
• More than 1,633,000 prime doses of COVID-19 vaccine allocated to the state (1,656,025) 

In a letter notifying legislative leadership the criteria have been met, UDOH Executive Director Rich Saunders said, “I understand HB294 has been controversial. Important, legitimate arguments having been made on all sides of the issues. But today should give all of us reason to celebrate. No matter which side someone falls on, we can all be proud of the outcomes we have achieved so far.”

While HB294 ends most public health orders, it specifically allows UDOH to continue public health orders that pertain to public health and safety measures in K-12 schools. 

In accordance with that section of the statute, the UDOH today issued State Public Health Order 2021-11. This order requires continued, routine testing of participants in high school sports and other extracurricular activities and also requires face coverings be worn in K-12 schools. This order expires on the last day of the 2020-21 school year or June 15, whichever occurs first.

“It’s important not to give up the ground we have gained, especially in our schools,” said Saunders. “We’re asking teachers, administrators, parents, and students to please hang in there, and finish the year on a healthy note.” 

The COVID-19 Transmission Index, which identifies counties of high, moderate, and low disease transmission based on several established metrics will also continue. However, the index will only serve as an advisory tool of the steps individuals and businesses can continue to take to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

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More information on the Legislative response can be found on our legislative timeline page.