Now that the dominant delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is considered as contagious as chicken pox, spread just as easily by the fully vaccinated as those who aren’t, will Utah follow the federal government’s lead and take additional steps to control rising case counts.
Not yet, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said Friday, shortly before the Utah Department of Health reported 1,211 new COVID-19 cases in the state, even more than the previous day’s total marking the highest case count since mid-February.
Adams questioned the effectiveness of President Joe Biden’s new mandate that all federal employees as well as members of the military must either be fully vaccinated against the virus or submit to regular testing and face restrictions on the job.
Because state lawmakers earlier this year limited the powers of other government entities to impose virus-related restrictions, he said that takes mandating masks in public schools off the table along with other issues, at least until the 2022 session starts in January.
Angela Dunn, head of the Salt Lake County Health Department, had already said children too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because they’re under 12 should wear masks at school.
The CDC also recommended this week that all Americans living in COVID-19 hot spots wear masks indoors in public even if they are fully vaccinated.
He said when Utahns were doing the same last fall, the state saw few, if any, serious cases of flu or RSV, that respiratory syncytial virus that can hit young children hard.
When it comes to getting more Utahns vaccinated against COVID-19, the doctor pointed out both incentives and mandates have been used successfully for flu shots.
There have been more than 3 million doses of vaccine administered in the state, a daily increase of 7,389 and just over 46% of all Utahns are now fully vaccinated, meaning its been two weeks or more since their final dose
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