Utah Archives - Mediarabe

Utah officials announce new pandemic strategy, mask mandates

October 13, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah is implementing a new strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic as the number of confirmed cases and hospitalizations continued to surge, state officials announced Tuesday.

The state will move away from its color-coded health system and instead place counties under restrictions based on their COVID-19 transmission rates, said Gov. Gary Herbert. Each county will be listed as high, moderate or low level transmission areas.

Six counties — Salt Lake, Utah, Cache, Garfield, Juab and Wasatch — have been designated as high transmission areas. Masks will be required in all indoor settings in these counties, and social gatherings must be limited to 10 people or fewer, said Rich Saunders, acting director of the Utah Department of Health.

In moderate transmission areas, gatherings will be limited to 25 or fewer unless masks are worn, said Saunders. Gatherings will be limited to 50 or fewer in low

Thousands of farmed minks have died from COVID-19 in Utah

October 11, 2020

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Nearly 10,000 minks have died across several farms in Utah due to COVID-19 in a matter of weeks, a state official said.

State veterinarian Dean Taylor told NBC News that the deaths have been spread across nine mink farms in Utah over just two weeks.

While the official noted “research indicates there hasn’t been a spread from minks to humans,” he said that the minks suffered from respiratory issues, which have also been reported among humans.

“Minks show open mouth breathing, discharge from their eyes and nose, and are not sick for several days before they pass away. They typically die within the next day,” he told the network.

He also said that older animals have proven to be more vulnerable to the disease.

Taylor told NBC News that the illness has been “wiping out 50 percent of the breeding colonies.”

He said the country first started seeing minks return

Vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence kicks off in Utah

October 10, 2020

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Utah OKs shorter quarantine for students exposed to the virus at school

October 9, 2020

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Students and teachers who get exposed to the coronavirus at school may now only have to quarantine for seven days, according to new guidelines from the Utah Department of Health.

Under the updated policy, individuals can return to the classroom early — rather than waiting the full 14 days — as long as they meet three criteria:

• They were tested for the virus a week after exposure and their results came back negative.

• They and the positive person who exposed them were both wearing masks at the time of contact. (School administrators are responsible for determining this.)

• And they do not have symptoms. If any develop, “they should isolate at home and call their health care provider.”

The changes were quietly approved by health officials and sent out in an email by state Superintendent Sydnee Dickson to district and charter administrators Thursday, without any public announcement. A

Utah surpasses 500 coronavirus deaths as surge persists

October 8, 2020

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah surpassed the grim milestone Thursday of 500 deaths from the coronavirus as the number of new cases and hospitalizations continued to break records.

Utah has been in the midst of a record-setting surge in reported coronavirus cases over the past month. The state now ranks fifth in the country for newly confirmed infections per capita, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

Utah set a daily case count record with 1,501 new cases reported Thursday, as well as a record 237 patients who are currently hospitalized.

Dr. Emily Spivak, an infectious diseases physician at University of Utah Health, said the intensive care unit at her hospital had reached 95% capacity. She issued a plea to residents during the governor’s weekly briefing to follow medical recommendations and wear masks so the state’s hospital systems don’t become overwhelmed.

“Our healthcare workers are tired,” Spivak said. “They’re suffering,

Nearly 6,000 Utah health care workers have tested positive, 4 have died with COVID-19 during pandemic

October 8, 2020

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SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly 6,000 workers in Utah’s health care industry have been infected by COVID-19 and four have died of the disease during the pandemic.

a hand holding a toothbrush: Sven Karabegovic holds his COVID-19 saliva test at a drive-thru test site at University of Utah Health’s South Jordan Health Center in South Jordan on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.

© Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Sven Karabegovic holds his COVID-19 saliva test at a drive-thru test site at University of Utah Health’s South Jordan Health Center in South Jordan on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.

That’s according to new data from the Utah Department of Health on coronavirus risk factors in the state amid an ongoing surge in cases.

It marks the first time the state has released data on how COVID-19 infections have impacted essential health care workers. The data includes anyone who works in a health care setting, as well as those who interact with patients including firefighters, dentists, physical therapists and those in other technical occupations.

To date, 5,709 health care workers have tested positive and 179 have required hospitalization,

COVID-19 Testing Available at University of Utah Health Redstone Health Center

October 6, 2020

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Oct 05, 2020 10:00 AM

University of Utah Health will move COVID-19 testing in Park City to Redstone Health Center beginning October 6th. In preparation for cold weather, COVID-19 testing at Redstone Health Center will move indoors. To ensure the health of patients, infection prevention has approved a thorough plan to safely test for COVID-19.

Patients who need a COVID-19 test are advised to schedule an appointment online before coming to Redstone Health Center. COVID-19 testing is available from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. Upon arrival for COVID-19 testing, patients will check-in at a separate entrance designated for respiratory patients only. Patients will be evaluated and tested in individual exam rooms in the same respiratory patient area. To ensure overcrowding, appointments are spaced in a timely manner to avoid patient contact.

U of U Health is testing patients for COVID-19 through self-collected saliva. The collection process for

Utah reports 15 more COVID-19 deaths as surge persists

October 3, 2020

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah reported 15 more coronavirus deaths following medical examiner investigations on Friday as the pandemic spikes in the state.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Erik Christensen said his office has seen a “notable increase” in the number of virus-related death investigations they’ve conducted in the past few days. Nine of the 15 deaths reported Friday hit last week, preceded by two earlier in September, two in August and two in July.

“Let me be clear, these deaths are preventable,” Christensen said in a statement. “None of the individuals who we determine to have died from COVID-19 would have suffered this fate at the time they did had they not been infected with COVID-19.”

Utah has been in the midst of a record-setting surge in reported coronavirus cases over the past month largely driven by college-age students in Utah County, home to Brigham Young University and Utah

Paris Hilton calls for Utah boarding school’s closure following her abuse allegations, starts petition

October 1, 2020

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Paris Hilton is calling for the Provo Canyon School (PCS) — where the socialite alleges she was abused while she was enrolled as a teen — to be shut down.

The former “Simple Life” star shared never-before-heard details of what she allegedly endured in her new documentary “This is Paris,” as well as in an interview with People magazine last month. Hilton claimed she was traumatized daily at the Provo Canyon School in Utah, where she was enrolled for 11 months at age 17.

Provo Canyon School previously responded to People magazine’s original report, telling Fox News in a statement at the time: “Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.”

Provo Canyon School did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request seeking additional comment.

PARIS HILTON’S BOARDING

Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, represents a minor in the Utah E.coli O103 Sprout Lawsuit.

September 29, 2020

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The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

Salt Lake City, Utah, Sep 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) —
Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A lawsuit was filed by Marler Clark, representing Karena McDonald, on behalf of her daughter, a minor, against Jimmy John’s restaurant in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County. The plaintiff is represented by Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, and Lance Andrew, P.C., a local Salt Lake City firm. Complaint # 200906120.

Jimmy John’s has had a decades-long problem with sickening customers with bacteria-tainted sprouts,” said William Marler, managing partner at Marler Clark. “In the past Jimmy John’s would stop selling sprouts after an outbreak, only to start up again later. The time has come to put the health of its customers first.” (Jimmy John’s sprout related recalls in the past