Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) recently pushed back against the directive from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urging Americans — including those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — to return to wearing masks as the so-called “Delta variant” spreads.
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Cox made clear Tuesday, though, he has no plans to require Utahns to start wearing masks all over again. The governor’s decision isn’t because he’s not concerned about the spread of COVID-19. Rather, he said, it’s because he’s “tired” of having to sacrifice for those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against the virus for any number of reasons.
While speaking to reporters, Cox said the CDC “is asking all of you who are vaccinated to take one for the team once again to protect people who are not vaccinated but had the opportunity to do so.”
“I’m guessing that the Venn Diagram of people who are unvaccinated and willing to wear a mask is very slim, if at all,” Cox said. “So I’m grateful that there are people who are willing to sacrifice and wear a mask again to protect the unvaccinated.”
“I got to be honest with you,” he continued. “I don’t know if I’m one of those people. I’m really tired. I’m really done with it, and I’m not excited to sacrifice to protect someone who doesn’t seem to care. But I’m glad there are some people out there who are.”
As of Aug. 1, 44% of Utahns have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 52% of the populations has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Half of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against the virus and 58% of the country has received at least one dose of a two-shot inoculation.
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Cox previously told Utah residents — a great deal of whom are Mormon — to listen to Russell M. Nelson, the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He received the first dose of a vaccine in mid-January.
The 96-year-old Nelson, who was a medical doctor by trade, described the vaccination as “a literal godsend,” saying he took the shot “with approval” from his and his wife’s physician.
“We are very grateful,” he said at the time. “[A]s a former surgeon and medical researcher, I know something of the effort needed to accomplish such a remarkable feat. Producing safe, effective vaccine in less than a year is nothing short of miraculous.”
Cox also addressed those for whom politics is their “religion.”
He urged them to “believe [former President] Donald Trump, who was so instrumental in getting this vaccine to us, who got the vaccine himself, and has encouraged others to get the vaccine.”
The governor noted that President Joe Biden is also vaccinated.
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