(Salt Lake City, UT) — The state of Utah is already planning for life after the COVID-19 pandemic. State leaders confirmed yesterday that they are working on programs that will take effect once the virus enters its endemic stage. That would happen when transmission of COVID-19 reaches the lowest level in 70-percent of the state. The state health department and other agencies would then implement plans to deal with the virus in the same way that flu and other illnesses are handled. Officials say the change will be gradual, and they say vaccinations and booster shots are still the best way to get from pandemic to endemic.