According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, as of Friday, 119 cases of monkeypox had been reported in Utah, with 73% of infections occurring in Salt Lake County. According to Nicholas Rupp, a spokesman for the county health department in Salt Lake County, seven new cases have been reported since Tuesday. Currently, the county accounts for 87 patients in the state, with Utah County coming in second with 12 issues.
Eight cases have been reported in both Davis County and the Weber/Morgan County region. Two patients were reported from Summit County, followed by one point each from Tooele County and the Tri-County region. According to our epidemiologists, Rupp said the overall national trend is mirrored by what we’re seeing.
According to the county health department’s website, any sexually active male — or transgender or nonbinary person — who has sex with males is qualified to receive a monkeypox vaccination. Additionally, according to Rupp, vaccinations are accessible at all regional health centers along the Wasatch Front. More than 2,000 doses have been given out in Salt Lake County.
Fortunately, the vaccine is now widely accessible, according to Rupp. Following the county’s initial vaccination campaign, officials are now focusing on “under-resourced” communities for vaccine access, including Spanish-speaking and Pacific Islanders, “to make sure that they’re taken care of too,” Rupp said. Until September, Salt Lake County intends to host additional monkeypox vaccination clinics. Epi.health.utah.gov/monkeypox/ has a list of locations throughout the state where the monkeypox vaccine doses are offered.
