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0000017b-652b-d50a-a3ff-f7efb02e0000KPCW's COVID-19 news coverage for Summit County and Wasatch County, Utah. 0000017b-652b-d50a-a3ff-f7efb02f0000You can also visit the Utah Department of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization websites for additional information.

As Park City Summer Tourism Returns, Health Officials Stress Importance of Vaccinations

KPCW

The Summit County Board of Health heard Monday that local COVID-19 rates continue to improve with county now considered a “low transmission zone,” although health officials still urge unvaccinated citizens to get their shots.

 

Health Director Rich Bullough said he was pleased that the county has had zero reported cases in the last several days and only seven over the past two weeks, compared to the January peak of 435 14-day cases.

 

Summit County has recorded 165 hospitalizations and 13 deaths during the pandemic.

 

Utah, meanwhile, is reporting 7.3 cases per 100,000 people and a 4.5% positivity rate.

 

Bullough said there are some concerning indicators as they relate to vaccination rates, though they’re relatively minor. Locally, there was a surge in March and April due to unvaccinated youths, but that was followed by a decline.

 

“We have groups of people that know each other or live with each other, families who’ve chosen not to be vaccinated,” he said. “My concern is, as you suggest, when we have events, especially when people travel. We’re out of mud season now. People are starting to come here. I’m still concerned for those individuals that are not vaccinated. And I’m especially concerned for those groups of people who spend time with each other who are not vaccinated, in particular, those individuals 50 and older.”

 

Bullough said the fall of 2021 will present a different landscape than any before.

 

“I think the surges are going to be small, the deaths are going to be relatively few,” he said. “Hospitalizations are going to be relatively few. But they are going to be part of our lives. This is here and we’re going to have to figure out a way to mitigate it moving forward.”

 

The county’s nursing supervisor, Derek Moss, said the county is now running three vaccination clinics. Moderna is the primary vaccine going into arms.

 

Health Board Chairman Chris Cherniak asked Moss if there is still a vaccination “gap” among patients who receive their first dose but miss their second.

 

“It’s still very small, the number,” he said. “And usually explained away by, they’re from out of state. They came in to get their first shot. But most people are showing up.”

 

Another board member asked what message the county can put out for tourists who are not vaccinated. Bullough noted one local restaurant sign that politely asked customers to wear a mask indoors if they had not received shots.

 

Moss echoed that sentiment.

 

“We’ve a lot of people coming in, using our restaurants, using our grocery stores, our post office,” he said. “But the difficult part’s going to be the negative consequences of that. They’re coming on a vacation, they don’t want to go get a shot that might make them sick for a couple days. If there’s some way to overcome that, absolutely, I think it’s a great idea and I think it’s a great way to go. But it’s going to be a very difficult barrier to overcome and trying to get them vaccinated. So I think exactly what was being said, a polite request to wear masks inside our establishments is probably the best course of action.”

 

Board member Doug Evans said while people are anxious to put the pandemic behind them, they still have to be careful.

 

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘well, have we hit herd immunity, Doug,’ and they feel like if they hit this special number, you’re done,” he said. “There really isn’t a herd immunity, this is an ongoing thing.”

 

Bullough said the trick with herd immunity is that the herd keeps changing, especially in a tourist town.

Known for getting all the facts right, as well as his distinctive sign-off, Rick covered Summit County meetings and issues for 35 years on KPCW. He now heads the Friday Film Review team.
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