The state’s largest hospital company is adjusting its policy for visiting patients with pandemics.
On Monday morning, Intermountain Healthcare will announce amendments to the guidelines for visiting COVID-19 patients across the country.
‘If you have a loved one in the hospital with COVID, we will allow you to see that person if you have had a previous COVID yourself or have been vaccinated, then you can go to your loved one who has COVID-19 , ”Said Dr. Eddie Stenehjem, Intermountain Healthcare. “The reason is that we have just learned more and more about the vaccine, and therefore we know that this vaccine protects and protects you against COVID-19.”
Visitors and patients are still expected 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 do not want to endanger you, but we feel that we are based on the knowledge that, if you have been vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19, it is safe to visit someone who has COVID as long as we have the proper precautions in terms of wearing a mask continue to follow. ”
He said guidelines will continue to evolve as more is learned and thorough data is collected on patient and visitor safety.
On the impending termination of the mandate for State Home on April 10, Stenehjem said how individuals will deal with the lifting of restrictions will primarily be a matter of personal responsibility.
“There will be no major difference in terms of the distribution of the community between April 10 and April 9 versus 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, costs you nothing and going to a grocery store with a mask on is just the right thing to do. “
Meanwhile, the Utah Department of Health reported Saturday that the state has amassed a total of 386,997 positive cases, including 447 new cases. To date, 1,481,363 total vaccines have been administered across the country, including 31,100 more from the previous day.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 406 per day, while the rolling seven-day average for positive test results among individuals tested registers 6.8%.
Currently, there are 132 people in Utah hospitalized with COVID-19, with the total hospitalizations reported at 15,593 since the outbreak began.
One new death was reported, sending the state’s pandemic total to 2,132. The patient was a 65-84-year-old man in Utah County who was admitted to the hospital when he died.