Deseret News
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Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Families in Utah are generally withstanding COVID-19’s economic and health impacts better than those in many other states, according to a new national study that calls for prioritizing the needs of racially diverse communities hardest-hit by the pandemic and ensuring access to the vaccines.
But it’s not clear if Utah’s minority communities will be prioritized to get vaccinated against the deadly virus. Related
Several communities on the west side of Salt Lake City have been declared hot spots.
In contrast, 78% of Utahns are white, but less than 61% of those who tested positive and 816 who died from the virus fall into that demographic. Pacific Islanders are the only racial or ethnic group other than Latinos and Hispanics in Utah whose caseload is larger, at 2.6%, than their share of the population, 1.6%.