Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox speaks during a COVID-19 briefing at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Cox unveiled a plan Friday to ramp up Utah's COVID-19 vaccine distribution as the state sees a post-holiday surge in new cases. Cox, a Republican, said he will issue an executive order requiring facilities to allocate their doses the week they are received and have local health departments manage distribution, with an expectation of administering 50,000 doses a week. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News, via AP, Pool)
March 18, 2021 /Local News

Utah Adults Can Get Vaccine 1 Week Earlier on March 24

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah adults can begin signing up for a COVID-19 vaccine on March 24 — one week earlier that previously planned because the state has un-allocated doses, Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday.

About 15% of the state’s supply isn’t being claimed by eligible people making appointments, said Cox, a Republican. He acknowledged that opening up eligibility so widely means there won’t be enough vaccines for all Utah residents over 18 at first, but said state wants to prevent having unused vaccines.

“We always want to keep demand above availability,” Cox said during during a televised news conference on PBS-Utah.

Utah teenagers 16 and older may also have a chance to get the Pfizer vaccine in some parts of the state starting next week too, Cox said.

New coronavirus cases have been decreasing since January. More than 714,000 of the state’s 3.2 million residents have been fully vaccinated, according to state data.

More than 367,000 recoveries have occurred in Utah, or 96.5 percent of all-time covid cases in the state.

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