Coronavirus updates: 263 cases, 5 deaths; Teacher tracks nearby cases on Facebook page

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SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the latest updates on COVID-19 from Utah and around the world.

If you’re on a mobile device and can’t see the updates below, click on this link.

Tuesday, 09:31 pm

Teacher starts Facebook page to track COVID-19 cases near schools

Teacher Wendy Moss – along with many other educators – feels teaching in the current conditions is dangerous.She began tracking COVID-19 positivity rates on the Salt Lake County Health Department’s website and compiled them onto a Facebook page. She said her goal is to do what she feels the districts aren’t doing and show the risk levels of opening schools in certain areas.“I just want to help as many people avoid what I see is the problem,” she said.Read the full story here.— Ashley Moser, KSL TV

Tuesday, 07:46 pm

Alpine, Utah’s largest school district, returns to class

The Alpine School District — the state’s largest — started the 2020-21 school year on Tuesday with new precautions and procedures in place for the coronavirus.A state rule requires students to wear masks, and it appeared they all complied. At an open house Monday night at one elementary school, for example, 450 people came. But Assistant to the Superintendent Kimberly Bird said they only had to hand out three masks total to those attending — one for a student, and two for adults.Read the full story here.— Mary Richards, KSL NewsRadio

Tuesday, 02:05 pm

263 more COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths reported in Utah Tuesday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 263 from Monday, with five more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.The state now estimates there are 8,233 active cases of the disease. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 341, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.8%.For a full analysis of Utah's daily COVID-19 numbers, click here.—Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Tuesday, 02:03 pm

Some Utah public colleges reducing student fees by $150 for fall semester

Students across the Utah System of Higher Education will have a little more cash on hand for the upcoming fall semester.The University of Utah will provide a $150 credit to all students to reduce fees for the fall 2020 semester, a 25% reduction the school says comes after consultation with other university administrators across the state’s public colleges and universities.Utah State will also provide a $150 fee reduction for its students, while Southern Utah announced a 40% reduction in student fees which amounts to an average savings of $152.70 per student.—Sean Walker, KSL.com

Tuesday, 02:02 pm

Postal Service halts some operational changes amid outcry

The Postmaster general says he is halting some operational changes until after the November election. Democrats had contended that the changes caused disruptions that threatened mail-in voting, and some states planned to file lawsuits.Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday he would “suspend” his initiatives until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail.”—Associated Press

Tuesday, 10:46 am

Gephardt: Credit card debt drops as Americans rein in spending during pandemic

When the job market tanked with the rise of stay-at-home orders and COVID-19 quarantines, many analysts expected a sharp rise in credit card use as cardholders and their families would do what they could to make ends meet. Here’s some surprising statistical analysis: Credit card debt is down for most people this time around. Why?“The fact that (credit card debt) is down in this climate is shocking,” said Ted Rossman, industry analyst for Bankrate.com.The total revolving debt of Americans is down by 10%, according to numbers from the Federal Reserve, and earlier this spring, it was down as much as 40%.— Matt Gephardt, KSL TV

Tuesday, 10:42 am

KSL investigates if Utah schools are doing enough to vent the virus

Back-to-school guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say a lot about more frequent sanitization, face coverings and social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But those guidelines say very little about a potential superspreader in schools and classrooms: proper air filtration and ventilation.Study after study suggested social distancing will do no good in a school where proper air filtration and circulation are ignored. Meaning, when fresh air increases, COVID-19 transmission decreases.KSL investigated what some Utah schools are doing to ventilate their classrooms.—Brittany Glas, KSL TV

Tuesday, 06:52 am

US home construction surges 22.6% for third straight increase

Construction of new U.S. homes surged 22.6% last month as homebuilders bounced back from a lull induced by the coronavirus pandemic.The Department reported Tuesday that new homes were started at an annual pace of nearly 1.5 million in July, the highest since February and well above what economists were expecting.Housing starts have now risen three straight months after plunging in March and April as the virus outbreak paralyzed the American economy. Last month's pace of construction was 23.4% above July 2019's.Construction of single-family homes was up 8.2% from June. Construction of apartments and condominiums soared 56.7%. Housing construction overall jumped 35.3% in the Northeast, 5.8% in the Midwest, 33.2% in the South and 5.8% in the West.— Associated Press

Tuesday, 06:50 am

Report: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound

COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday.“The case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago, who specializes in long-term care. She was not involved with the study.Long-term care facilities account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, but more than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.— Associated Press

Tuesday, 12:00 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 242 on Monday, with two more deaths reported.

The virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in mink in two Utah farms — the first confirmed cases of the virus in the species in the U.S.

Some Utah teachers haven't received their supply of promised face shields and masks before school starts soon.

Utah lawmakers are calling themselves into this year’s sixth special legislative session Thursday, where they’ll consider 22 items largely centered around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read all of yesterday's updates here.

Coronavirus updates: 263 cases, 5 deaths; Teacher tracks nearby cases on Facebook page

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - Aug. 18, 2020 at 9:31 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 18, 2020 at 7:04 a.m.

(Jae C. Hong, AP Photo, File)

Teacher starts Facebook page to track COVID-19 cases near schools

Alpine, Utah’s largest school district, returns to class

263 more COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths reported in Utah Tuesday

Some Utah public colleges reducing student fees by $150 for fall semester

Postal Service halts some operational changes amid outcry

Gephardt: Credit card debt drops as Americans rein in spending during pandemic

KSL investigates if Utah schools are doing enough to vent the virus

US home construction surges 22.6% for third straight increase

Report: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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