Great news: 70% of Utah adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine! In the words of Governor Spencer J. Cox, “This is truly a milestone worth celebrating! … we’re grateful for all the nurses, doctors, health care workers, hospitals and volunteers (including the Utah National Guard) who continue to work tirelessly to get us all vaccinated!”
That said, the pandemic isn’t over, and we still have work to do together. First, make sure to get your second dose if your first dose was from Moderna or Pfizer. The vaccine is much more effective with both doses.
Second, please continue to be conscientious. The virus is still spreading. At a press conference yesterday with medical leaders from Utah’s hospital systems, Dr. Michelle Hofmann with the UDOH said, “Currently, Utah has the sixth highest case rate in the nation at 8 per 100,000 people. This surge is largely in unvaccinated people, who are being infected and hospitalized at six times the rate of vaccinated people. The frustrating part about this is that unlike last year, we have the tools to stop this pandemic in its steps – vaccines.”
Don’t get slimed with misinformation
If you’re fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing, read up on the facts about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Finally, there are groups and communities that are lagging behind in vaccination rates. People living in rural counties across the state, young adults and adolescents, and our American Indian/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities have a lower percentage of vaccination.
Governor Cox recommends, “If you have questions or concerns about the coronavirus vaccine, talk with your doctor. Visit coronavirus-stage.at.utah.gov to find a vaccine site or to book a mobile unit to come to your workplace, church, social club, or neighborhood.”
How to spot misinformation
Stronger.org has come up with a few tips on how to spot misinformation online. These tips will help you track the truth about COVID-19, and they apply to just about any issue you encounter online. Here’s a quick preview:
- Check the source
- Check the date
- Check the data and the motive
- Check the facts
Read more here
Vaccination is your best protection from COVID-19
Between May 1 and June 25:
- 93.4% of Utah’s COVID-19 cases have been unvaccinated people.
- 91.3% of hospitalizations have been unvaccinated people.
- 96% of deaths were unvaccinated people.
See more data on the Risk Factors tab of our Case Counts webpage.