Utahns 75 and Older Will Be First in Line for COVID-19 Vaccine in Next Phase of Rollout

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah residents 75 and older will be the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the next phase of the state's rollout, according to Governor Gary Herbert and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) — while "essential workers" in food and restaurant services have been removed from the list. "It simply makes the most sense to vaccinate those who are at the highest risk for hospitalization and death first," Herbert stated. UDOH officials said the numbers support a policy to inoculate seniors first. They noted that the hospitalization rates of people 65 to 84 years old are more than three times the rates for people 45 to 64, while the rates for people 85 and older are five times greater. People 65 and older also constitute 77 percent of the 1,219 Utahns who, as of Monday, have died from the coronavirus. "If we vaccinate those people first, we're probably saving more lives and easing up the hospitals' burden so that they're not overwhelmed," declared Arlen Jarrett, regional chief medical officer for Steward Health Care.