Every day in Carbon County there are COVID test being given by different agencies in the area. Do you ever wonder how the numbers are compiled and given to the state? What are the steps for getting on the waiting list for the vaccine? Let’s try to answer some of your COVID questions.
For almost a year now we have been dealing with the Corona Virus and in that time there have been 40,945 tests given throughout the Southeastern Utah Health District. But what happens with the Information from those tests, Brady Bradford the department director explains,” Every testing location is responsible for submitting their results within a 24 hour period of the test to the state.”
The Health Department gets notifications of positive tests but they can also access the results of all tests that were given. As a district we are sitting in the “High” Transmission Level. There are three main factors that will determine whether or not an area can be moved to a lower level. “We can’t suggest to the state that we should move to a lower level, all of the factors that go into that decision are numbers based, and two of the main ones are percentage of positive tests and Average Cases per 100,000”,stated Brady. As of Monday, our testing positivity rate is sitting at 16.24 % over the last seven days and our Active Cases per 100,000 are sitting at 415. The state has set a positivity rate of 13% and the Active Cases per 100,000 of 350 before they will change the transmission level of an area.
Another question that is surfacing is that of vaccines. Who can get them and how do they get on the waiting lists. As of right now if you are over 70 ears old you can sign up to receive the vaccine. “ We hope to have all first responders and health care workers completely vaccinated by the first week in March” , Bradford said. The easiest way to get on the list is to call the Health Department at (435) 637-3671.
Eventually they will move to online registration. If you have any questions head to the Health Department’s website: https://www.seuhealth.com/