Coronavirus updates: 5 COVID-19 cases confirmed in students at U. and Westminster College

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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.

Friday, 08:44 pm

Saliva works just as well as deep nasal swab in detecting COVID-19, Utah researchers find

More than 615,800 Utahns know what it feels like to be tested for COVID-19.They know it is somewhat invasive, involving a long swab inserted up the nose and reaching to the back of the throat where it stays for several potentially uncomfortable seconds.But it doesn’t have to be that way.— Wendy Leonard, KSL

Friday, 08:43 pm

5 teachers, no students exposed after Carbon High School teacher tests positive for COVID-19

Five Carbon High School teachers must quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 by a fellow teacher during the first week of school, district officials said Friday.The teacher who tested positive had not come in contact with any students, as she had stayed home the first day of school because she was feeling ill, Carbon School District Superintendent Lance Hatch said Friday.— Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 07:37 pm

5 COVID-19 cases confirmed in students living in campus housing at U. and Westminster College

There have been five positive COVID-19 tests among students currently living in college dormitories in Salt Lake County, health officials said Friday.Three of the cases are students living in University of Utah housing and two are students living in student housing at Westminster College, Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp told the Deseret News.Friday was the final day students moved into housing at the U. while students moved into Westminster College over the past weekendA handful of University of Utah students have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, U. Communications Director Chris Nelson confirmed to KSL.com on Friday.About 3,600 students moved into on-campus residence halls this week and each one was tested for COVID-19 before receiving their room keys.About 2,600 of those tests had come back Friday and the university was expecting to receive the remaining results by Monday.Of the roughly 2,600 tests that have already come back, a “handful” were positive and those students were placed in designated isolation rooms at the residence hall which have been set aside for that exact purpose, Nelson said.There are about 400 rooms set aside as COVID-19 isolation units, Nelson said.School officials expected some students to test positive, Nelson said.“We fully expected to have some asymptomatic students which is why we did the testing up front,” Nelson wrote in an email.University of Utah students who have been exposed to the virus from close contact are asked to self-quarantine in their dorm rooms for 14 days.— Lauren Bennett, KSL.com and Marjorie Cortez, KSL

Friday, 01:29 pm

463 more COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths reported in Utah Friday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 463 from Thursday, with two more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.The state now estimates there are 8,195 active cases of COVID-19. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 351, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.9%.Full a full analysis of Utah's daily COVID-19 numbers, click here.—Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 01:29 pm

Are BYU players safer than other college students by playing football during pandemic?

The Cougars will do anything to play football this fall, including wearing a face covering before, during and after practice; undergoing mandatory temperature and symptom checks; and maintaining social distancing and self-isolating periods when not in practice. The team even ordered hard-shell plastic face visors to replace the cloth masks many were wearing under their helmets at the start of fall camp. It’s just another layer of security to try to prevent the spread of a virus that is 0.14 microns in diameter.Many of the players have already signed up for online classes. Others — namely those who aren’t married like quarterback Zach Wilson and wide receiver Dax Milne — have lived together to try to limit their contact tracing circle in response to the pandemic.—Sean Walker, KSL.com

Friday, 09:20 am

Tabernacle Choir cancels remaining 2020 performances

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has canceled its remaining 2020 performances, including the choir's annual Christmas concert, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The fall concert by the Orchestra at Temple Square and the November concert by the Bells at Temple Square have also been canceled, according to a statement on the choir's website."This is disappointing for all of us but we have found a silver lining in these unique times by discovering innovative ways to share our vast repository of music with more people globally than ever before through the blessing of modern technology," choir president Ron Jarrett said in the statement. "As such, we are exploring ways to continue the Choir’s annual traditions of TV specials and recordings next year even in the absence of a live Christmas concert in 2020."Remaining audition phases for the the choir have also been postponed for 2020, according to the choir. Applicants who made it through previous rounds of auditions will receive an email from the choir informing them of the details and next steps.— Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 07:21 am

Provo passes resolution on masks, considers mandate

Days before tens of thousands of college students are expected to return to the city, the Provo City Council met in an emergency meeting and passed a resolution on masks to prepare for the possibility of a spike in COVID-19 cases.“The bottom line is we’re going to be a very different population in the next week,” said Provo City Council Chair George Handley.The council was unanimous in supporting a resolution on masks, calling on everyone in the city “to accept personal responsibility to each do our part to follow public health guidelines to the best of their abilities.”But when it came to whether to adopt an ordinance that would mandate masks, the council ultimately decided to put off a vote until next week.— Matt Rascon, KSL TV

Friday, 12:00 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared a new COVID-19 state of emergency that took effect Thursday as 461 new cases and 4 deaths were reported.

The Utah Legislature’s sixth special session began Thursday, with House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, noting the extraordinary challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that have forced lawmakers to redo the state budget multiple times and pass a flurry of new bills.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services Thursday reported that new aid will automatically be made available to some Utahns who were left jobless due to coronavirus layoffs.

Get more of yesterday's coronavirus headlines here.

Coronavirus updates: 5 COVID-19 cases confirmed in students at U. and Westminster College

By KSL Staff | Updated - Aug. 21, 2020 at 9:31 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 21, 2020 at 7:26 a.m.

(Spenser Heaps, KSL)

Saliva works just as well as deep nasal swab in detecting COVID-19, Utah researchers find

5 teachers, no students exposed after Carbon High School teacher tests positive for COVID-19

5 COVID-19 cases confirmed in students living in campus housing at U. and Westminster College

463 more COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths reported in Utah Friday

Are BYU players safer than other college students by playing football during pandemic?

Tabernacle Choir cancels remaining 2020 performances

Provo passes resolution on masks, considers mandate

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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