Coronavirus updates: Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

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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.

Sunday, 09:02 pm

Coronavirus worries force election officials to get creative

The coronavirus has upended everyday life in ways big and small. What happens when those disruptions overlap with voting? Thousands of state and local election officials across the U.S. are sharing ideas and making accommodations to try to ensure that voters and polling places are safe amid an unprecedented pandemic.What if you need a voter registration form or absentee ballot application and all the normal go-to places are closed or open by appointment only?

Benjamin Hovland, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, said 40 states have online voter registration, a particular benefit during the pandemic. The commission has beefed up its website, www.vote.gov, with links to register in all 50 states.

How will polling places be kept virus-free?

As an example of how seriously they're responding, California issued 50 pages of instructions to its election boards last month calling for site-specific virus prevention plans and extensive training.

In Maine, single-use pens have replaced the usual “I Voted” stickers for marking the occasion Nov. 3.

South Carolina has piloted ear swabs for touchscreen voting, while Indiana and Louisiana are among states offering latex finger coverings.

What if you plan to vote in person but receive a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and it’s too late to request a mail-in ballot?

Planning ahead to vote early or by mail is still the best way to avoid getting tripped up by a virus diagnosis, quarantine or travel restriction ahead of Election Day, experts agree.

Separate voting stations, far from the rest, are being set up where possible to accommodate those who know or suspect they’re infected with the virus and decide to self-report.

What if you, or a fellow voter, choose not to wear a mask, as election and health officials are pretty much universally recommending?

States are mostly stopping short of requiring masks on Election Day because voting is a protected right. The most common scenario envisioned is that voters who decline to wear a mask will be offered one.

— Associated Press

Sunday, 08:33 pm

Experts call for independent commission separate from FDA to review COVID-19 vaccines

Citing criticism of government agencies and increasing public distrust of vaccines, several prominent physicians and experts are calling for the creation of an independent commission to review data from coronavirus vaccine trials before a vaccine is allowed on the market.Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, said she thought of the idea of an independent panel to increase trust in the vaccine after several colleagues told her they did not want to get a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available."I'm hearing this from my peers, from doctors and nurses. They're not anti-vaxxers. They're pro vaccine. They vaccinated their own children. But they are skeptical about this vaccine," said Stephenson, director of the clinical trials unit at the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.Separately from Stephenson, bioethicist Arthur Caplan arrived at the same conclusion."We're used to this world where if the FDA or the CDC or the NAS says something is safe and effective, that's enough, but I don't think this time that's sufficient to overturn public skepticism," said Caplan, referring to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the National Academy of Sciences. "I think we desperately need an independent national commission."— CNN

Sunday, 6:11 pm

These businesses are making more money because Americans are staying home

Although the pandemic brought about one of the steepest economic contractions in history, home improvement businesses have fared well through the downturn.

Building permits and housing starts both surged in July, according to the U.S. government. Sales of previously owned homes jumped 20.7% from May to June, a new record.

The quest to create a home office space has intensified, taking some to the backyard. Shed manufacturers have been running a brisk business since the pandemic started.

With most gyms closed, people have been flocking to at-home fitness classes, and that's been a boon for Peloton. Shares are up more than 130%.

Household robotic vacuum Roomba is on a tear because people are tired of staring at dust bunnies all day. The company's stock is up almost 47% this year.

— Associated Press

Sunday, 05:28 pm

One shot of coronavirus vaccine likely won't be enough

When a coronavirus vaccine comes on the market, people will likely need two doses, not just one — and that could cause real problems.So far, Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's effort to get a vaccine on the market, has given money to six pharmaceutical companies.Two of those companies, Moderna and Pfizer, are now in Phase 3, large-scale clinical trials. The 30,000 volunteers in each of the trials are getting two doses, with Moderna spacing their shots out 28 days apart and Pfizer spacing theirs out by 21 days.— CNN

Sunday, 4:04 pm

United says it will drop widely scorned ticket-change fees

United Airlines says it listened to customers and is dropping an unpopular $200 fee for most people who change a ticket for travel within the United States.The moves come as United and other airlines try desperately to lure people back to flying despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. U.S. air travel has recovered modestly since April, but passenger traffic remains down about 70% from a year ago.— Associated Press

Sunday, 01:10 pm

Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

All 287 students living in four Utah State University dorms have been ordered to quarantine immediately after wastewater samples found elevated levels of COVID-19, school officials said Sunday.The quarantine was ordered as a precaution for those living in Rich, Jones, Morgan and Davis Halls.The school is also working with health officials to arrange COVID-19 testing for the nearly 300 students that will be completed Sunday and Monday.The residents must quarantine until the novel coronavirus test results come back. As of Sunday, there were no reported COVID-19 cases in the residence halls.Further information and resources for the students were sent to them directly, officials said.As they are unable to leave their rooms the school has arranged resources to be brought directly to dorms, including meals on Sunday.Students in the halls must complete a questionnaire in order to get the COVID-19 resources provided by the school.No other areas where wastewater sampling for COVID-19 was completed on the Logan campus showed elevated levels, officials said.The school implemented wastewater monitoring as a way to “provide an early alert warning to the university to address potential cases and prevent the spread of the virus further,” officials said.— Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Sunday, 01:00 pm

448 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths

The Utah Department of Health reported 448 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the second day in a row with no new deaths, on Sunday.The new numbers bring Utah to 51,854 confirmed cases since the pandemic began. No new deaths from the disease were reported Sunday, leaving the state's toll at 407 resident deaths. Sunday saw 4,947 new tests completed, bringing the total number of tests to 655,507.— Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Sunday, 07:48 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

The Utah Department of Health on Saturday reported 458 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As waves of schools and businesses around the country are cleared to reopen, college towns are moving toward renewed shutdowns because of too many parties and too many COVID-19 infections among students.

Read all of yesterday's updates here.

Coronavirus updates: Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

By KSL Staff | Updated - Aug. 30, 2020 at 8:02 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 30, 2020 at 8:47 a.m.

Coronavirus worries force election officials to get creative

Experts call for independent commission separate from FDA to review COVID-19 vaccines

These businesses are making more money because Americans are staying home

One shot of coronavirus vaccine likely won't be enough

United says it will drop widely scorned ticket-change fees

Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

448 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Most recent Coronavirus stories

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Coronavirus updates: Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

By KSL Staff | Updated - Aug. 30, 2020 at 8:02 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 30, 2020 at 8:47 a.m.

Coronavirus worries force election officials to get creative

Experts call for independent commission separate from FDA to review COVID-19 vaccines

These businesses are making more money because Americans are staying home

One shot of coronavirus vaccine likely won't be enough

United says it will drop widely scorned ticket-change fees

Elevated levels of COVID-19 found in wastewater at 4 Utah State dorms

448 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Most recent Coronavirus stories

FDA memo links 10 child deaths to COVID vaccines

Moderna says next-generation COVID-19 shot shows strong immune response in patients

Vaccine advisers abandon broad COVID-19 shot support

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

Criminal or hero? Trial starts for Utah doc accused of selling COVID cards, destroying vaccines

FDA approves Moderna's next-generation COVID vaccine for adults 65 and older

China suggests COVID-19 originated in US in response to Trump allegation

KSL Weather Forecast