Sen. Vickers recovering from breakthrough COVID infection with complications that left him hospitalized

State Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, speaks at a Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance community prayer gathering at Main Street Park hooked up to oxygen while recovering from COVID-19, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 23, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — State Sen. Evan Vickers of Cedar City, who serves as the majority leader of the Utah Senate, is recovering from a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

File photo of Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, at the 2021 Washington County Republican Organizing Convention held in St. George, Utah, April 10, 2021 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Vickers announced his diagnosis at a community prayer gathering Thursday night sponsored by the Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance and held at Main Street Park. The event was also attended by Gov. Spencer Cox. 

Standing while hooked up to an oxygen tank, Vickers joked about gaining a little pity among those at the gathering. 

“If you feel a little sympathy for me with my oxygen, I thank you. That’s why I brought it with me,” Vickers said.

The state senator, who is also a licensed pharmacist and owns several pharmacies in Cedar City including Bulloch Drug and Township Pharmacy, said he spent three days hospitalized with COVID-19 and is still dealing with lingering effects. 

“I had a breakthrough case of COVID. I got through that fine. On its way out, COVID left me some blood clots in my lungs,” Vickers told the Cedar City crowd. “That wasn’t so much fun.”

State Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, speaks at a Cedar Area Interfaith Alliance community prayer gathering at Main Street Park hooked up to oxygen while recovering from COVID-19, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 23, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Cox, who was introduced by Vickers, expressed his gratitude for Vickers’ recovery.

“I’m grateful you were able to walk out of that hospital,” Cox said. “We’re so glad you’re here, and we love you.”

Earlier in the month, Vickers endorsed Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, though he emphasized that it is not meant as a prevention. This week, the Utah Department of Health joined with the Federal Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending against using Ivermectin for treatment while it continues to undergo clinical trials. 

St. George News reached out to Vickers, but as of publication of this article, it is unknown what treatments he underwent for the COVID diagnosis.

However, Vickers expressed gratitude for the help he was provided in the hospital.

“They’re under so much pressure. That wing I was in had nothing but COVID patients in it, so just keep them in mind,” Vickers said. “From the moment I walked in, the hospital staff treated me with such respect and kindness. It was so good.”

Vickers was a co-sponsor of two of the state Legislature bills that passed in May that curtailed the governor’s emergency powers and banned mask mandates for schools.

He was the author of Emergency Response Amendments, designated SB 195 in the 2021 Legislature, which limits any emergency order by the governor to 30 days and only allows it to be extended with legislative approval.

Vickers also served as the Senate sponsor of the Face Covering Requirements measure, designated HB 1007, which banned schools from mandating masks unless approved by a local health department or local government.

He has been a vocal opponent of any mandates concerning mask-wearing or vaccines but has also been adamant that the wearing of masks and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be done by Utahns – but that the decision should be left to residents rather than mandated by the government. 

St. George News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this story.

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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