County health departments in Utah are taking COVID-19 vaccine clinics to high schools, to get doses to 16- and 17-year-olds before the school year is out.
However, it says it did not have a choice.
The department reported the vaccinations happened at the very beginning of the vaccine rollout. Spokesperson Amy Bate noted the department received these doses between Christmas and New Year s Day.
This was before the state opened the vaccination process to people in the general public over the age of 70; before anyone had registered to receive it. Bate reported those vaccines were earmarked for first responders and health care workers, but many of those people declined.
The doses delivered had been thawed and some vials had already been opened. We had vials of vaccine that was thawed and it has to be used in a certain amount of time. When you open it, it has to be used in a shorter amount of time, Bate said.
Vaccines administered in Tooele County ♦
The Tooele County Health Department vaccinated some of their employees Tuesday. Vaccinations for members of the community will be available soon.
Currently, Tooele County has had 4,359 positive cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Utah Department of Health.
There have also been 123 Tooele County residents hospitalized since the start of the pandemic and 12 deaths.
According to Amy Bate, public information officer for the Tooele County Health Department, there is no way to know how many individuals are currently receiving hospital care for the virus.
On Dec. 24, Tooele County had 3,790 cases of the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, with 123 hospitalizations and 12 deaths, according to a report from the Tooele County Health Department released on Thursday.
The COVID-19 vaccine is starting to reach Tooele County healthcare workers and the county Health Department said they will sound the cry when the vaccine is ready for priority groups.
The public should watch for messaging from the Health Department, according to Amy Bate, spokesperson for the Tooele County Health Department.
“We will make sure we get the word out,” Bate said. “We will communicate through email, newspaper, social media, on our website, and electronic sign when the vaccine is available and to what priority groups.”
There have been 6,519 vaccines administered to healthcare workers throughout the state as of Dec. 21, according to the Utah Department of Health.
Health official answers COVID-19 vaccine questions tooeleonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tooeleonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.