The state’s largest hospital company is adjusting its policies for visiting patients affected by the pandemic.
On Monday morning, Intermountain Healthcare will announce changes to the guidelines for visiting COVID-19 patients at its facilities across the state.
“If you have a loved one in the hospital with COVID, we will allow you to come and visit that person if you have had a previous COVID or have been vaccinated, you can come in and visit your loved one who has COVID-19,” said the doctor. infectious diseases from Intermountain Healthcare, Eddie Stenehjem. “The reason is that we just learned more and more about the vaccine and therefore we know that this vaccine keeps you safe and protects you against COVID-19.”
Visitors and patients will still be required to wear masks, he said.
“If you come to our hospital as a visitor, it is still our responsibility to keep you safe,” he added. “We don’t want to put you at risk, but we believe, based on science, that if you’ve been vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19, you are safe to visit someone who has COVID as long as we continue to follow proper precautions in terms of use of the mask. “
He said the guidelines will continue to evolve as more information is learned and solid data is collected regarding patient and visitor safety.
Regarding the impending interruption of the mask’s mandate across the state on April 10, Stenehjem said that how individuals deal with lifting restrictions would be primarily a matter of personal responsibility.
“There will be no big difference in terms of community transmission on April 10 compared to April 9 compared to April 2,” he said. “(The best way) to protect the community, to protect your neighbors and to protect the people you see in your community, is to wear a mask. Wearing a mask is simple, it costs nothing, and entering a supermarket with a mask is the right thing to do ”.
Meanwhile, the Utah Department of Health reported on Saturday that the state recorded a total of 386,997 positive cases, including 447 new cases. To date, 1,481,363 total vaccines have been administered across the state, including 31,100 more reported the day before.
The seven-day continuous average for positive tests is 406 per day, with the seven-day continuous average for positive test results among the individuals who were tested registering 6.8%.
Currently, in Utah, there are 132 people hospitalized with COVID-19, with the total number of hospitalizations reported since the outbreak began at 15,593.
A new death has been reported, bringing the total statewide pandemic to 2,132. The patient was a male Utah county resident, aged 65 to 84, who was hospitalized when he died.