Health officials: If you’re going to get a COVID-19 vaccination, now is the time to do it

ST. GEORGE — The message from both those with the local health district and St. George Regional Hospital is the same: If a person in Southern Utah is planning to get the COVID-19 vaccine, now is the time to do it.

Medical workers fill syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic inside the St. George Active Life Center on Feb. 11, 2021. St. George, Utah | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

“This is the sweet spot right now for all ages and health conditions,” said David Heaton, spokesperson with the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. 

It is no longer a case of whether someone in Southern Utah is eligible to get the vaccine. At this point, unless a person is less than 16 years old, they are eligible for the vaccine in Utah as of Wednesday

Both Heaton and officials with St. George Regional Medical Center said there remain plenty of open slots to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s a far cry from just a few weeks ago, when reservation slots for vaccinations filled up quicker than shuttle busses in Zion National Park on a spring break weekend. 

Many waiting by their computers at 9 a.m. for the release of the local health department’s reservation slots were usually out of luck.

That isn’t the case now, partially because the governor’s office increased Southern Utah’s vaccine allotment after the area’s older population and a lower supply played a part in the filled-up reservation slots. 

If Southern Utah doesn’t use up its supply of the vaccine, some of the allotment may be diverted to other parts of the state, which in some areas like Wasatch County are now seeing reservation slots fill up completely like they did here previously.  

Terri Draper, spokesperson for St. George Regional Hospital, said Intermountain Healthcare may divert some of its vaccine allotment to its other hospitals in the state if demand for vaccine appointments locally remain unfilled.

“I believe that if Intermountain needs to shift supplies, that could happen,” Draper told St. George News.

Heaton said looking ahead, the local health district is already seeing future allotments being moved to where they were a few weeks ago. 

“We’ve reached that threshold where there is more vaccine supply than demand,” he said.

Among those who can receive the vaccine now are teenagers 16 to 18 years old, though the Federal Drug Administration has only approved for them to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

While the health district isn’t offering the Pfizer vaccine at this point, St. George Regional Hospital and Intermountain facilities are.

“We have Pfizer,” Draper said. “We’re encouraging those 16 and older to get vaccinated.”

St. George Regional Hospital. St. George, Utah. March 13, 2021 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Another new source where people can find out where to get a vaccine locally and pick which type to get is vaccinefinder.org, which was recently set up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, as far as which vaccine to get, most health officials echo state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn, who recently said, “The best vaccine to get is the one that is available.”

That said, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have proven to be better at stopping the virus than other vaccines, though the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has the advantage of needing only one dose, as opposed to the two doses required of the others. And no matter the efficiency, thus far all of the vaccines have been 100% effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalization or death, according to the CDC. 

With the vaccine being more available locally as it is right now to more people locally that it has, and may in the future, Draper said this is the time for those wanting to be inoculated against COVID-19 to do so.

“Ideally for the health in our community, getting the doses is important,” Draper said. “Come get them.”

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine

  • Those who can currently get first dose of the vaccine: Everyone ages 16 and over. Those 16-18 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine. Use vaccinefinder.org to find clinics that have the Pfizer vaccine.
  • Those who can receive the second dose: Those who received their first injection 28 days or more before the appointment time.
  • Must register in advance online for an appointment time.
  • Must have a personal ID and wear a short-sleeve shirt at appointment.
  • Proof of residency may be required, though a person does not have to reside in the county they are receiving the vaccine. Part-time residents can get vaccinated with proof of residency.
  • Vaccines are free of charge.
  • Those without email addresses or unable to make reservations online can get help at a specialized hotline at 435-986-2549.
  • To get alerts for when new vaccine appointments are added with the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, text SWUHEALTH to 888777.

Washington County:

Where: St. George Active Life Center, 245 N. 200 West, St George

Reservations: Click to register 

Iron County:

Where: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Wedgewood Lane, 2015 N Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City.

Reservations: Click to register 

Kane County:

Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Kanab office, 445 N. Main St., Kanab.

Reservations: Click to register 

Garfield County:

Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Panguitch office, 601 Center St., Panguitch.

Reservations: Click to register

Beaver County:

Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Beaver Office,  75 1175 North, Beaver.

Reservations: Click to register

St. George Regional Hospital/Intermountain Healthcare:

Where: 400 East Campus St. George Regional Hospital,  544 S. 400 East, St. George.

Reservations: Click to register

FourPoints Health:

Where: Various locations.

Reservations: Click to register

Revere Health:

Where: Revere Health Campus,  2825 E. Mall Drive, St. George.

Reservations: Click to register

Albertsons:

Where: 745 N Dixie Dr in St. George and 915 Red Cliffs Dr. in Washington City.

Reservations: Click to register

Harmons:

Where: 1189 E. 700 South in St. George and 3520 Pioneer Parkway in Santa Clara.

Reservations: Click to register

Lin’s Marketpace:

Where: 1930 W. Sunset Blvd.  and 2928 E. Mall Drive in St. George, 1120 State St. in Hurricane and 150 N Main St. in Cedar City.

Reservations: Click to register

Smith’s Food and Drug:

Where: 20 N. Bluff St. and 565 S. Mall Drive in St. George and 633 S. Main St. in Cedar City.

Reservations: Click to register

Walmart:

Where: 625 W. Telegraph St. in Washington City, 180 N. 3400 West in Hurricane and 1330 S. Providence Center Dr. in Cedar City.

Reservations: Click to register

COVID-19 information resources

St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.

Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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