Summit County booster shot appointments booked until Dec. 6, despite Cox announcement

Gov. Cox announced on Thursday that COVID-19 booster shots will be available to eligible Utahns age 18 and older. Photo: State of Utah Covid-19 Response

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox announced that starting on Friday, all eligible Utahns age 18 and older can get a COVID-19 booster shot.

To be eligible, you must have received the second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna shot more than six months ago. For Johnson and Johnson, you must have received the shot more than two months ago.

Despite the announcement, the Summit County Health Department (SCHD) said booster shot appointments are booked through December 6. “We encourage individuals who are interested in receiving a booster shot to check with their local pharmacies,” SCHD said in a tweet.

Complete list of Utah pharmacies

“The whole booster discussion has been very confusing to most people,” Cox said during his monthly news conference. “We just want to make it very simple.”

Over 2 million people in Utah have now gotten at least one dose of the Covid vaccine. Cox said over 44,000 children (ages 5 – 11) in the state have received their first dose.

He also expressed optimism about the antiviral pills that are currently being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Pfizer asked U.S. regulators last week to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide on Pfizer’s application before the advisory panel meets Friday. The final step — CDC’s official recommendation — could come soon after the meeting.

Utah had the 10th-highest diagnosis rate of COVID cases in the U.S. Thursday, with the average daily cases rising 14% in the last two weeks.