thePyramid We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m
We A r e S a n p eWasatch te.com Coronavirus pandemic, what to do Academy campus closing An Edition of the
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Thursday, March 19, 2020 • Vol. 129, No. 12 • 75 cents
RAY LAFOLLETTE
The Pyramid
MT. PLEASANT — The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a worldwide pandemic. What does that mean and what should be done about it? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Intermountain Healthcare have both provided guidance and information the public needs to understand and apply. According to the CDC, “pandemics happen when new (novel) influenza A viruses emerge which are able to infect people easily and spread from person to person in an efficient and sustained way.” “Because the virus is new to humans, very few people will have immunity against the pandemic virus, and a vaccine might not be widely available. The new virus will make a lot of people sick.” “How sick people get will depend on the characteristics of the virus, whether or not people have any immunity to that virus, and the health and age of the person being infected.” Anyone who has kept up-to-date with the latest news knows there have been deaths caused by Covid-19 as it has spread to many parts of the world after being discovered in China. In addition, as the apparent behaviors of the virus have been identified, several steps have been taken here in the United States and other countries in an effort to slow down the spread of the disease.
With the advent of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) arriving in Utah, it is best to know the symptoms to watch for and the steps to take for personal protection. (Graphic courtesy of CDC) How to get it At this time, there are two ways COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) is thought to spread: 1.) Person-to-person: Between people in close contact with one another (within about six feet), for significant periods of time, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
2.) Contact with infected surfaces or objects: A person can conceivably get COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this isn’t thought to be the main way the virus spreads. Treatment At this time, no vaccine protects against COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) and no medications are approved to treat it. Supportive care is the most important response strategy.
Who is affected most According to the CDC, the complete clinical picture with regard to COVID-19 is not fully known. Reported illnesses have ranged from very mild (including some with no reported symptoms) to severe, including illness resulting in death. While information so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, a report out of China suggests serious illness occurs in 16 percent of cases. Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions — like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for example — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness. Here in Utah, Intermountain Healthcare has released a list of five things people need to know and do about Covid-19 (novel coronavirus), as follows: Protection The first recommendation is to protect yourself, your family, and the community. The best way to protect yourself and loved ones from contracting COVID-19 is by using the same six daily habits that help prevent the spread of many viruses, including the common cold and the flu. The six daily habits to help prevent the spread of many viruses are these: 1.) Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 2.) Keep hands clean. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. Please see WHAT TO DO, Page A10
SVH implements new visitor restriction policy MT. PLEASANT — Intermountain Healthcare’s Sanpete Valley Hospital (SVH) has implemented new visitor restrictions to ensure the safety of the hospital’s patients, caregivers, and community. The following restrictions are effective immediately: 1.) If you are sick, please do not visit or accompany a patient to the hospital; 2.) Do not enter the hospital facility except to seek care for yourself; 3.) Only two visitors or companions of a patient may visit at a time in the hospital, no visitors or companions under the age of 18; 4.) There will be no hospital visitors allowed to patients who have confirmed or possibly have COVID-19 (novel coronavirus); 5.) Please wash your hands or use alcohol sanitizer every time before and after leaving a patient room, exam room and the hospital facility.
Speak with a nurse or receptionist about exceptions and special circumstances. Visitors or companions to someone who is sick and at the hospital will need to check in first. Greeters will ask you if you yourself have been sick. If you are sick and not seeking care for yourself, you will be asked to not enter the hospital. Please talk to the greeter if there is a special circumstance, and it will be considered on a case by case basis. If you are healthy and over the age of 18, the greeters will still require you to use hand sanitizer on or before entering. Please make arrangements for your young children to not accompany you to the hospital, either to visit someone or if you are sick yourself, while these restrictions are in place. Visiting restrictions will be re-evaluated once it’s determined that the level of risk has changed.
Visitor restrictions have been put in place at Intermountain Sanpete Valley Hospital to help ensure patients, caregivers and the community are safe during the current COVID-19 outbreak. All visitors must follow the restrictions. (Photo courtesy of Shauna Watts, SVH) “We ask that everyone be helpful, extra precautions is in an effort to calm and supportive of these im- try and keep the number of people portant precautions at our hospiPlease see SVH, Page A10 tals. The reason we are taking these
Utah closing public schools to prevent spread of coronavirus BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST AND BRADY MCCOMBS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)— Utah closed most public school functions on Monday, March 16, to reduce the risk of spreading the new coronavirus, though doors will stay open to help families who need things like tutoring and meals, state officials said Friday. Gov. Gary Herbert said the plan is for learning to move online or through packets sent home, with each district devising its own plans soon. The step is considered preventative in Utah, which has confirmed a handful of cases caught outside the state and hasn’t had any deaths. “We think this is prudent. This is based on good science. This is based on what we’ve learned from other areas of the country and around the world,” Herbert said.
Even though Utah doesn’t have community spread, its likely only a matter of time, said Dr. Kurt Hegmann, director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Utah. Hegmann urged people to keep their children away from large gatherings and at safe distances from others during the break. About 667,000 children go to public schools in Utah, according to state figures. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who is leading the state’s coronavirus task force, urged residents to stay calm and insisted the move doesn’t mean there’s a crisis. “This doesn’t mean you have to go pillage the shelves at your local store,” Cox said. “It doesn’t mean we have to fight over the last roll of
toilet paper.” He added that kids can still play video games with a friend if they’re not sick and cautioned that too much isolation can be bad for children. “We’re not quarantining every child in the state of Utah,” Cox said. “We still want you to go on walks to the park. ... We’re just avoiding these mass gatherings that will hopefully prevent the spread of the coronavirus.” Other effects of the pandemic rippled through politics, religion and the courts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temporarily suspended activities like ceremonial baptisms for dead ancestors at its temples worldwide, though ordinances like marriages can still be done by appointment in some
locations. The faith has already suspended worship services and decided to hold its signature conference without attendees. State courthouses will also be quiet: hearings considered nonessential were canceled, and those necessary to ensure the right to a fair and speedy trial were being held over video feed. Salt Lake City municipal courts were also taking steps to limit risk of spreading the virus, the newspaper reported. Utah has a handful of cases of the new coronavirus, including Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. For most people, it causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with Please see SCHOOLS, Page A10
MT. PLEASANT—Because much has changed regarding the status of COVID-19 in many areas of the world including here in the United States, public health concerns have heightened considerably this past week and Wasatch Academy has taken steps to address the concerns. While there have been no cases of COVID-19 at Wasatch Academy, there is a growing state of concern for the health and well-being of the school community here locally, nationally and internationally. Many of the Wasatch Academy community members have traveled home and to other destinations for Spring Break. After careful consultation with experts in public health, medicine and education, all on-campus learning starting Monday, March 23 will temporarily cease and shift to an online remote learning platform through April 12. Prior to April 12, monitoring and evaluation of the situation will be reviewed to determine when students may return to campus. Wasatch Academy (WA) has made this decision with the health and education of their students in mind, and are proactively taking this step to move to online remote learning. The decision to modify WAs program is appropriate and ultimately helpful to their community and to the larger public health effort to contain or slow the spread of the virus. Details of the plan are as follows: 1.) WA campus is closed to all students after Spring Break. 2.) All classes on campus are canceled starting on Monday, March 23. 3.) All dormitories and facilities are closed. 4.) Wednesday, March 25, students may log on to Schoology for online instruction and information on assignments. 5.) All campus athletic and extracurricular events are suspended. 6.) College counselors are available to work with students. 7.) Students working with an Academic Coach will continue to do so remotely. 8.) Faculty remain fully committed to working on behalf of the success of each student. Be assured that WA faculty are in an excellent position to quickly adapt to online, remote learning to continue meeting the needs of all students. Because of WA’s commitment to and focused work on competency-based education and the documentation of standards-aligned curriculum on Schoology (WA’s learning management system), faculty and students are already accustomed to working together to use online resources to further their learning. When students need help with their assignments, teachers are readily available. Students have the resources to receive full credits for the remaining semester courses to keep them on track for graduation. As usual, seniors will earn a WA diploma upon fulfilling the required coursework. The decision to close the WA campus and to continue all learning remotely was reached with much deliberation and awareness that this presents challenges for many Please see WA CLOSING, Page A10
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