Hometown Main Street program
page 13 January 7, 2022 | Vol. 3 Iss. 01
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Long lines at testing sites as COVID cases spike CDC changes guidelines
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com BOUNTIFUL—With COVID cases reaching an all-time high during the holidays, testing sites are seeing a flood of people coming in. The testing site at the Bountiful Veterans Park has a long line of cars snaking from the Library to 1300 South every day all day. In spite of that, physicians are still recommending individuals get tested as soon as they show any symptoms. “We haven’t seen a major difference in Omicron symptoms,” said Dr. Eddie Stenehjem Intermountain Healthcare Infectious Diseases Physician. “Look for the same common cold symptoms. It’s really challenging because we’re in the middle of winter so we have plenty of other upper respiratory viruses like influenza that all have similar symptoms. That’s why it is so important if you have any symptoms of an upper respiratory infection regardless of how mild, you need to get tested for COVID-19.” The Utah State Depart-
Collaborative effort to foster inclusion, end racism
PAM SUNDQUIST PREPARES to get a nose swab test from Nurse Ken McRoy at the Bountiful Veterans Park testing area while her dog Luna keeps her eyes peeled.
Photo by Roger V. Tuttle
ment of Health reported more than 3,000 cases in one day last week and on Monday had a count of 14,754 total new cases since before the holiday on Thursday, Dec. 30. The case count was 7,247 on Wednesday. “A lot has happened in the last seven to 10 days, said Stenehjem. “That 3,000 cases (last week) is the highest in a long time and that will continue to go up.”
Hospitalizations are going down albeit slowly, he said. “Don’t let this give us false hope. It’s great those hospitalizations are going down but those patients in the hospital right now are infected with Delta. As we see the cases go up we’ll see hospitalizations go up as well, as people are infected with Omicron.” How fast the case curve goes up then the trajectory
goes down has yet to be determined, said Stenehjem. “What we’re seeing in South Africa is cases going down already. In London they’re flattening and in Germany and Norway they’re going down. So it seems like most of these countries have had a pretty rapid rise and a pretty rapid fall. We’ll see if Utah Please see TESTING: pg. 4
FARMINGTON—In an effort to bring the community together to end discrimination and promote inclusion, Davis School District administrators announced on Tuesday the formation of an enhanced partnership between Hill Air Force Base, Davis County commissioners and the state to address these issues. “I believe when we’re dealing with racism it has to be a partnership to come together and talk about it,” said Commissioner Bob Stevenson. “We need to open up communication to resolve the problem.” It’s all about one Utah, one military, said HAFB Commander Colonel Jenise M. Carrol of the 75th Air Base Wing. “We need to break down the barriers of communication and make the community aware of what we’re doing. We need to know what’s happening in our schools. It’s a problem that we don’t all see the same.” “Hill is the number one single site employer in Utah,” said Superintendent Reid Newey. “We’re number two. It’s an extraordinary asset with great leadership. This isn’t a 7-3 problem that’s why we’re so engaged in this.” Utah First Lady Abby Cox, founder of “Show Up Utah” initiative, introduced her Unified Sports Program. “It joins people with and Please see COLLABORATE: pg. 4