1-5-21 Transcript Bulletin
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Cowboys remain undefeated See A10 TOOELETRANSCRIPT S T C BULLETIN S TUESDAY January 5, 2021 www.TooeleOnline.com Vol. 127 No. 63 $1.00 It’s Radon Action Month Odorless gas is second leading cause of lung cancer TIM GILLIE way to know if your home has EDITOR elevated levels, according to Invisible to the eye and health department officials. without any smell or taste, January is National Radon radon gas may seep unknow- Action Month and local and ingly into your house, inhaling state officials are urging Utah it is the second leading cause homeowners to test their of lung cancer. homes for the cancer causing But exposure to radon is gas. Tooele County’s first County Council was worn into office on Monday afternoon consisting of Tye Hoffmann, Jared Hamner, Tom Tripp, Scott preventable with a simple inex- Home test kits for radon Wardle, and Kendall Thomas. pensive test. are available for purchase The Tooele County Health at the Tooele County Health Department estimates that Department for $5, while sup- one out of every three homes plies last. The $5 cost includes in Tooele County have radon the test kit and processing. SWEARING levels higher than the U.S. To use the test kit, which Environmental Protection is about the size of the palm CEREMONY Agency action level of 4 pico- of a hand, the kit needs to be curies per liter of air. opened and set in a room for PHOTOS TIM GILLIE In some neighborhoods one 48 to 96 hours. The kit is then house may have a radon level dropped into the provided above the action level while envelope and mailed in to be A full, but physically distanced a home across the street may and masked, audience looked on be lower. Testing is the only SEE RADON PAGE A9 ® Monday afternoon as the members of the first Tooele County Council were sworn into office. County Council members Jared COVID19 UPDATE Hamner, Tom Tripp, Kendall Thomas, and Scott Wardle took their oath of office from Tooele County Clerk Marilyn Gillette on Monday One more county afternoon in the Tooele County Commission Chambers. Tooele County Recorder Jerry Houghton resident dies from administered the oath of office to County Council member Tye Hoffmann. COVID-19, brings Other county elected officials were sworn in on Monday included total deaths to 13 County Recorder/Surveyor Jerry Houghton, County Treasurer Mike CEILLY SUTTON males in the same age group. Jensen, and County Assessor Jake STAFF WRITER Third in line was the 16 to Parkinson. The Tooele County Health 24-year-old age category, with Interim County Manager Brittany Department released updated females still testing positive Lopez also was worn in on Monday age and sex information relat- more frequently than males. by Gillette. ed to local COVID-19 cases on The age grouping of 1 to Dec. 24, 2020. 15-year-old, was in fourth Looking at the positive case place, but with males test- rate per 100,000 individuals, ing positive more often than the county Health Department females. reported that the age group The least frequent age group 25-44 years old was most likely to catch COVID-19 per 100,000 to test positive for COVID-19, individuals, was the 65-84 with females slightly in the age category, with more males lead. than females testing positive. The second age category As of Jan. 4, 2021, Tooele that tests positive for COVID- County had 4,716 test con- 19 most frequently was the firmed positive cases of 45-64-year-old category, with COVID-19 since the beginning females still leading for more positive diagnoses than among SEE COVID-19 PAGE A9 ® Tom Tripp, (top), Scott Wardle (second from top), Kendall Thomas (above right), Jared Hamner (above left) amd Tye Hoffmannn ( left). BULLETIN BOARD A7 CLASSIFIEDS A6 Utah celebrates OBITUARIES A11 CORONAVIRUS TRACKER birthday OPEN FORUM A4 See A3 SPORTS A10 Data as of January 4, 2021. Source: Utah Department of Health TOOELE COUNTY- Known Cases: 4,716 UTAH- Known Cases: 285,633 Hospitalizations: 131 • Deaths: 13 Hospitalizations: 11,240 • Deaths: 1,305 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT BULLETIN TUESDAY January 5, 2021 State announces plans for phase two COVID-19 vaccine distribution CEILLY SUTTON care, and to pass away from to vaccinate those who are at STAFF WRITER COVID-19. Ensuring these the highest risk for hospital- Utah’s Unified Command members of our community ization and death first,” said Group, along with the receive the vaccine as early now former Gov. Herbert prior Utah Department of Health as possible will save lives and to the press release. “We will announced on Dec. 28, 2020 help reduce the burden on our continue to refine our plans, their plans to distribute hospitals.” and to move forward under the COVID-19 vaccines to mem- The COVID-19 vaccines principle that those who stand bers of the public. will be administered to older to suffer the most should be Phase two vaccinations are adults, because the hospitaliza- vaccinated first.” expected to begin as early as tion rate for those aged 65-85 According to the press mid-February, according to a is greater than the next closest release, prioritization of waves press release from the Utah age group, according to UDOH. in phase two are still being Department of Health, For adults older than 85, the considered but will likely Utahns who are 75 and rate is nearly five times greater. include prioritization by addi- older will receive the vaccine UDOH officials said that tional age groups, residents first, once phase two vaccina- mortality rates are also sig- with certain underlying medi- FILE PHOTO tions begin. nificantly elevated in older age cal conditions, and certain resi- Tooele County Health Department nurse Amy Royal prepares to vaccinate Liz Heap, a health department nurse. “We have seen older adults groups. dents who live in congregate bear the most severe burden Adults older than 65 settings. “Focusing on age will do supportive of this change and Later in phase two, vaccines of disease in our state, and account for 77% of all COVID- Prioritization based on an more to reduce infections and know it will save lives.” will also be available through across the nation,” said Rich 19 related deaths in Utah, individual’s employment status alleviate hospitalizations than During the early part of the local pharmacies and primary Saunders, UDOH interim exec- according to the UDOH. are no longer being consid- any other category of individu- phase two vaccinations, most care providers, according to utive director. “These individu- “As we move into Phase 2 ered by the Unified Command als as we continue to admin- residents will receive their vac- the press release. als are far more likely to be of our vaccination program, it Group, according to the press ister vaccinations,” said now cines at the health department [email protected] hospitalized, to need intensive simply makes the most sense release. Gov. Spencer Cox. “I’m very closest to where they live. Tooele City Police report zero fatalities during the New Year’s holiday CEILLY SUTTON Police Department, Tooele found two DUI drivers and to be trying to stay safe on the you are using appropriate than following what the STAFF WRITER City added one extra DUI there were three traffic acci- road. car seats, and make sure you Highway Safety office and Tooele City Police patrol shift during the holi- dents in Tooele City. “The advice is really the aren’t driving impaired. If Tooele City officials tell them Department reported zero day. “Overall, it went pretty same no matter what time of you follow the traffic laws to do. fatalities during the New The extra officer was also well,” said Hansen. “It wasn’t the year it is,” he said. “Make in general, it’s just safer for “Everything pretty much Year’s holiday. looking out looking for drivers a bad weekend. It was fairly sure you are wearing your everybody.” stays consistent,” he said. “We According to Lt. Jeremy speeding or not following the quiet.” seatbelts, make sure you are Hansen said that the Tooele just keep doing the things we Hansen, public information rules of the road. Hansen said that during following seatbelt regulations City Police don’t have any are expected to do.” officer for the Tooele City During the holiday, officers 2021, drivers should continue for children, like making sure goals for the new year other [email protected] CORRECTION In our Dec. 31, 2020 #10 Top Story of the Year, Students back in school, revised quarantine rules “Tooele City Site of Protest,” Tooele High and Tooele Junior mask at the time of exposure. from 3–5 p.m. for students and the organization of the rally State providing COVID-19 testing at Stansbury High High schools each reported a The risk of transmission employees and from 5-7 p.m. in Tooele City park that fol- running 10-day sum of 11 posi- at school, when masked, for community members. lowed the protest march TIM GILLIE The school district has tive COVID-19 cases in their appeared to be low. A study Registration is required was attributed to the wrong EDITOR revised their online data for schools. showed that only 1% of those prior to coming. People coming party. It should have been All students in the Tooele individual schools. Grantsville High School previously quarantined were for COVID-19 testing are asked attributed to the Tooele County School returned to The spreadsheet, found on a reported seven. All other getting sick. to wear a mask, and social dis- County Democratic Party.