SANDY, Utah — Monday marks the first day Utah seniors 70 years and older can get a COVID-19 vaccine in Utah.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the rollout went “very, very well.”
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“It was fast and really painless,” said Maxine Crellin at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.
At 81, Crellin rarely leaves her Sandy home.
“Do what I have to do every day. I have been going for walks, short walks,” she said.
Crellin hopes the vaccine gives her a little freedom without worrying about getting sick from COVID-19.
"This virus has turned us upside down as a community. I think of the isolation of so many,” Mayor Wilson said while becoming emotional during a press conference.
The mayor urges patience as the county begins the next phase of vaccinations. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson urged the county to ramp it up.
“Every seven days, those doses need to be 100 percent exhausted and in people’s arms. But if you can do it faster, do it faster. That’s our plea,” Lt. Gov. Henderson said.
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The rollout comes after a series of snafus last week. The county’s vaccination reservation website crashed, and some received an email saying their appointment was canceled.
Yet, after she was in and out within 30 minutes Monday, Crellin looks ahead.
“In the future, it means that we can resume our lives,” she said.
Mayor Wilson hopes to speed up inoculations when more doses are released by the federal government.
Links: (via coronavirus.utah.gov)