As Utah continues with its vaccine rollout, the state is preparing for more shipments of doses.
If all goes according to plan, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said - during his weekly COVID-19 briefing - all residents could be vaccinated within the next few months.
“In fact, we believe that with the enormous increase that we will be receiving in March, April and May, that it is possible if everything goes right and as planned - and it rarely does - but if that were to happen, we could have a vaccine available for every adult in Utah who wants one into May,” Cox said.
If approved by the FDA, the introduction of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine could help to increase the supply of vaccines Utah is receiving.
In the meantime, Cox said vaccine rollout has been increasing week over week.
“We had an increase this past week in both doses administered of over 100,000,” he said. “That is our largest week yet and the first time we've crossed that 100,000 threshold.”
He said the state is working on “high throughput coalitions,” which will function as mass vaccination sites that can get through thousands of doses a day.
As the state prepares to expand accessibility to the vaccine, Lt. Gov. Deirdre Henderson issued a call for statewide volunteers to help with inoculations.
“So we need a lot of people and we need medical professionals and others who can help and who want to assist,” Henderson said.
She clarified that volunteers will not get a vaccine ahead of their predetermined phases of the rollout.
Volunteers can register at utahresponds.org.
