Coronavirus updates: 727 cases, 1 new death; Utah among 'red zone' states for reopening

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SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the latest updates on COVID-19 from Utah and around the world.

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Friday, 10:43 pm

Flavors of Utah tradition turns from tasting to giving amid COVID-19 pandemic

What started as a Pioneer Day celebration with a few interns and a bucket of home-brewed root beer in Sen. Mike Lee’s Washington, D.C., office a few years ago morphed into an annual event with hundreds of people called Flavors of Utah.But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of trucking Utah-made food across the country to sample in the nation’s capital, local companies donated the products to hospitals across the state.Lee’s office and Associated Food workers assembled 500 food bags containing beef jerky, potato chips, taffy and other items for delivery to nurses and doctors on the front lines of the pandemic.“This year we’re shifting the event from a food-tasting model to a food-giving model,” Lee, R-Utah, said.— Dennis Romboy, KSL

Friday, 10:41 pm

Looking back: The history of medical masks and today's parallels to prior pandemics

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Utah and many other states began to rise again after Memorial Day, medical experts and even local, state and federal officials began pleading for people to wear masks in situations where it’s impossible to stay 6 feet from someone else.Masks may be uncomfortable, hard to find and difficult to remember to wear, but they “are our medicine right now” until a vaccine or effective treatment is discovered, Dr. Thomas Miller, chief medical officer for University of Utah Healthcare, said during a state press briefing Thursday.“For 140 years, we’ve known that masks have prevented the spread of disease, and that’s why surgeons wear them,” he said. “You would not go to a surgeon for an operation without them wearing a mask, so we know that they work.”— Carter Williams, KSL.com

Friday, 10:39 pm

'A very big challenge': How Utah's largest university has navigated COVID-19 with minimal disruptions

Astrid Tuminez remembers well the day the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything about her job.Utah Valley University’s first female president was at the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament in Las Vegas, where the UVU women’s basketball team had just lost its tourney opener. The men’s team was scheduled to tip off the postseason the next day.But there would be no postseason. After Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the novel coronavirus and the NBA suspended its season, the landscape of college sports changed as well.Following a meeting with the WAC presidents and athletic directors, the conference tournament was canceled. The NCAA followed that afternoon, canceling the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments — and then the entire spring championship season across the nation.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Friday, 02:00 pm

Stress rises for unemployed as extra $600 benefit nears end

A major source of income for roughly 30 million unemployed people is set to end, threatening their ability to meet rent and pay bills and potentially undercutting the fragile economic recovery.In March, Congress approved an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits as part of its $2 trillion relief package aimed at offsetting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That additional payment expires next week unless it gets renewed.The unemployment insurance program has emerged as a crucial source of support at a time when the jobless rate is at Depression-era levels. In May, unemployment benefits made up 6% of all U.S. income, ahead of even Social Security, and up dramatically from February, when it amounted to just 0.1% of national income.—Associated Press

Friday, 02:00 pm

727 more COVID-19 cases, 1 death reported in Utah Friday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 727 from Thursday, with one more death reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.The health department now estimates there are a total of 12,476 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 599, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 10.3%.A total of 198 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Utah, with 96 in intensive care unit, or ICU, beds across the state. About 71% of ICU beds at Utah hospitals are occupied as of Friday, the health department reports. Just under 55% of non-ICU hospital beds are occupied in Utah Friday, according to state data.For a full analysis of Utah's COVID-19 cases, click here.—Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 12:46 pm

Military medics deploy in California, Texas as virus surges

Teams of military medics were deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by coronavirus patients, as Miami area authorities began stepping up enforcement Friday of a mask requirement — echoing efforts in many parts of the world to contain surging infections.In California, military doctors, nurses and other health care specialists were being deployed to eight hospitals facing staffing shortages amid a record-breaking case numbers. In Houston, an 86-person Army medical team worked to take over a wing of United Memorial Medical Center.Several states have been reporting record numbers this week, contributing to a surge in the national death rate. The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths has risen 34% from two weeks ago, while the case count in that period shot up 43%.Florida reported 128 new deaths Friday and 11,345 new cases.—Associated Press

Friday, 11:02 am

18 states, including Utah, in coronavirus 'red zone' should roll back reopening

An unpublished document prepared for the White House coronavirus task force and obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom, recommends that 18 states in the coronavirus "red zone" for cases, including Utah, should roll back reopening measures amid surging cases.The "red zone" is defined in the 359-page report as "those core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) and counties that during the last week reported both new cases above 100 per 100,000 population, and a diagnostic test positivity result above 10%."The report outlines measures counties in the red zone should take. It encourages residents to "wear a mask at all times outside the home and maintain physical distance." And it recommends that public officials "close bars and gyms" and "limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer," which would mean rolling back reopening provisions in these places.Gov. Gary Herbert's office responded to the report, saying "The White House sends us regular reports on Utah’s COVID-19 status, including data and recommendations. The data seems to correspond well with our own data, and we appreciate their suggestions. Those recommendations generally track well with the actions our state and local health departments are already pursuing, though of course our actions are more targeted on the specific circumstances of our outbreaks."— CNN

Friday, 10:22 am

What are Utah schools doing to prepare for and prevent COVID-19 outbreaks?

As many students prepare to return to the classroom next month, schools are taking a lot of safety precautions. But what happens in case of an outbreak of COVID-19 at a school?That’s just one more thing that districts across the state are now trying to plan for and prevent.The KSL Education Impact Team reached out to multiple districts, asking what happens if there’s a case, or worse, an outbreak, at school?— Tania Dean and Deanie Wimmer, KSL TV

Friday, 10:22 am

Salt Lake County hiring initiative aimed at providing jobs during COVID-19 economic downturn

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson announced a hiring initiative as part of the county’s latest efforts to dampen the economic impacts of COVID-19.The hiring initiative opens 125 temporary positions across Salt Lake County departments involved in fighting the virus, and applications are now open.— Mack Jones, KSL

Friday, 07:11 am

Virus prompts various measures as death tolls set records in US hot spots

The coronavirus kept surging in hot spots around the U.S. on Thursday, with one city in South Carolina urging people to pray it into submission, a hospital in Texas bringing in military medical personnel and morgues running out of space in Phoenix.Record numbers of confirmed infections and deaths emerged again in states in the South and West, with hospitals stretched to the brink and concerns worldwide that the pandemic's resurgence is only getting started.— Associated Press

Friday, 07:11 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

2020-21 school year ‘won’t look the same,’ but Canyons District pushes on with reopening plans

UK, US, Canada accuse Russia of hacking virus vaccine trials

954 new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, but many from data backlog

Qualtrics study: With COVID-19 cases surging, most Americans still reluctant to return to offices

Read all of yesterday's COVID-19 news here

Coronavirus updates: 727 cases, 1 new death; Utah among 'red zone' states for reopening

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - July 17, 2020 at 10:48 p.m. | Posted - July 17, 2020 at 7:11 a.m.

(Jeffrey D. Allred, KSL, File)

Flavors of Utah tradition turns from tasting to giving amid COVID-19 pandemic

Looking back: The history of medical masks and today's parallels to prior pandemics

'A very big challenge': How Utah's largest university has navigated COVID-19 with minimal disruptions

Stress rises for unemployed as extra $600 benefit nears end

727 more COVID-19 cases, 1 death reported in Utah Friday

Military medics deploy in California, Texas as virus surges

18 states, including Utah, in coronavirus 'red zone' should roll back reopening

What are Utah schools doing to prepare for and prevent COVID-19 outbreaks?

Salt Lake County hiring initiative aimed at providing jobs during COVID-19 economic downturn

Virus prompts various measures as death tolls set records in US hot spots

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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Coronavirus updates: 727 cases, 1 new death; Utah among 'red zone' states for reopening

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - July 17, 2020 at 10:48 p.m. | Posted - July 17, 2020 at 7:11 a.m.

(Jeffrey D. Allred, KSL, File)

Flavors of Utah tradition turns from tasting to giving amid COVID-19 pandemic

Looking back: The history of medical masks and today's parallels to prior pandemics

'A very big challenge': How Utah's largest university has navigated COVID-19 with minimal disruptions

Stress rises for unemployed as extra $600 benefit nears end

727 more COVID-19 cases, 1 death reported in Utah Friday

Military medics deploy in California, Texas as virus surges

18 states, including Utah, in coronavirus 'red zone' should roll back reopening

What are Utah schools doing to prepare for and prevent COVID-19 outbreaks?

Salt Lake County hiring initiative aimed at providing jobs during COVID-19 economic downturn

Virus prompts various measures as death tolls set records in US hot spots

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Related links

KSL.com coronavirus coverage

Most recent Coronavirus stories

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Trump chooses US COVID policy critic Bhattacharya to lead NIH

CDC expects COVID and RSV levels to increase in coming weeks

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Austrian woman convicted of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID

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