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As Vaccination Rates Continue To Rise, Utah ICU Use Still Considered High

Arizona Department Of Health Services

Although hospitalization rates are decreasing and vaccination rates are increasing, ICU use in Utah is still considered high. 

According to Governor Spencer Cox, as soon as vaccinations were available to Utahns over age 65, people ages 65 to 84 went from being the most hospitalized group in the state to the third most hospitalized group.

“It shows that vaccinations absolutely work," Gov. Cox said.

During the Thursday COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Cox said although overall hospitalization rates have decreased, ICUs are still at 72% capacity which is considered high use.

Gov. Cox said he believes hospitalization rates from COVID-19 will continue to improve as more and more Utahns receive the vaccine.

As of Thursday, 2.4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Utah and around 55% of eligible people in the state have gotten at least one dose.

“Part of that has to do with the availability of children ages 12-15 to get the vaccine," Cox said. " We’ve certainly seen an influx of kids those ages, including my own 14-year-old daughter and we’re excited about that and encourage those young people to get their vaccines.”

About 20,000 kids ages 12 to 15 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Summit County has the highest vaccine rate in Utah with 66% of people age 12 and over being vaccinated.

Cox said the rate of vaccinations in multicultural communities has gone up, and the state is still making vaccine accessibility a priority in these areas.

As of Thursday, the rolling seven day average of positive cases is 312 per day, which is a decrease from 328 from the week before.

Editor's Note: The headline for this story has been updated to better reflect the story content. 

Harley is a news reporter at UPR. She covers a bit of everything, but especially news dealing with education and updates from the governor. She has always loved both writing and public speaking, so radio is perfect for her. She is a student at USU studying journalism, sociology, and criminal justice. Outside of work and school, she loves running, hiking, and exploring National Parks.