Dear Friends and Neighbors,

During the governor’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Uintah and Duchesne, two counties from District 26, moved from moderate to high on the Transmission Index. The guidelines for the high category include a mask mandate and social gatherings are limited to 10 people or less. Read more here.

Highlights from Gov. Herbert’s weekly COVID-19 briefing:

• Utah’s hospitals are on the brink of becoming overwhelmed and will soon be unable to provide adequate care for everyone in need.

• Dr. Mark Shah, emergency physician at Intermountain Healthcare, said 5 percent of Utah’s COVID-19 patients require hospitalization, with 20-30 percent of those needing intensive care for prolonged periods of time, straining Utah’s supply of care.

• The State of Utah has prepared a Crisis Standard of Care to guide the allocation of scarce patient care resources. Read the complete guide here.

• Utah, along with 31 other states, is experiencing the highest COVID-19 case counts since the beginning of the pandemic. Though our case counts and hospitalizations are high, Utah’s mortality rate is five times lower than the national mortality rate.

Watch the full briefing here.

State COVID-19 Updates:

● This week, state and local leaders held a COVID-19 briefing in Spanish addressing immediate needs and how to stop the disproportionate rise of COVID-19 in Latino communities. Watch here.

● The state’s Transmission Index does not apply to religious services. However, faith-based organizations are encouraged to help slow the spread of COVID-19 through physical distancing, frequent hand washing and encouraging people to stay home if sick. More information here.

● The Utah Department of Commerce and the Division of Consumer Protection is warning Utahns of a new fraud scheme designed to target social media users by offering COVID-19 aid as bait. More information here.

● Most people will not have to pay for COVID-19 testing. If you have health insurance, you should not be charged for a test, no matter what testing site you visit. If you are uninsured and are a U.S. citizen and Utah resident, you qualify for COVID-19 testing coverage through Medicaid.

● Utah’s Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant reimburses businesses that paid their employees regular wages while quarantining or self-isolating from COVID-19. Learn more about the grant here.

● The Utah Transit Authority’s services will be free on Election Day, November 3. Find routes and polling places here.

Utah’s COVID-19 data as of October 29:

• Total people tested: 1,063,291

• Total COVID-19 cases: 110,640

• Estimated recovered: 81,403

• Current hospitalizations: 317

  • Total fatalities: 598

Additional information here.

The graph below shows Utah’s ICU capacity from May 1 through October 28.

Kind regards,

Senator Ron Winterton

Senate District 26