Latest news with #UtahDepartmentofHealth
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New Nimbus COVID-19 variant — What you need to know
SALT LAKE CITY () — With reports of a new variant of COVID-19 out there, it's important to remain informed and prepare. Public health experts are saying that the new Nimbus variant is more contagious, and they're recommending COVID boosters. The official name of the new variant is NB.1.8.1, but it has been nicknamed Nimbus. spoke with Dr. Kelly Oakeson, Chief Scientist for Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics at the Utah Public Health Lab with the Utah Department of Health about what you need to know about this new COVID-19 variant. According to Dr. Oakeson, the CDC is predicting that the Nimbus variant makes up anywhere from 38-50% of the current COVID cases in the United States. He also said that we've seen it in Utah, through a handful of clinical cases, and it's been detected in wastewater. As we have seen with previous variants, new mutations have made the virus more transmissible. 'It's better at attaching to our cells and infecting our cells and making us sick, but it also has mutations as well that help us avoid our immune response, right?' Dr. Oakeson explained. 'It has ways of avoiding our antibodies that we have built up against COVID, either from vaccination or from infection.' Symptoms are similar to current COVID symptoms: cough, fatigue, fever, loss of taste and smell, etc., he said. Four measles cases now reported in Arizona, first of this year What can you do to protect yourself? Dr. Oakeson recommended the same measures people have been taking all along to protect themselves against COVID. 'If you're not feeling well, stay in bed, rest up. If you have to go out and you're going to be in large places, put a mask on,' Dr Oakeson said. 'We know these N95, these surgical masks do a good job at helping prevent spread of respiratory viruses.' She also recommended getting a COVID booster if you haven't yet. 'If you got one last fall, and depending on your health status, you're probably okay. There are recommendations for people that are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised to get boosters more often,' he explained. If you haven't gotten a booster in the past year, Dr. Oakeson said that it's probably time to go out and get one. The formulation of the newest booster will provide some protection against the new variant, he said. From a public health perspective, Dr. Oakeson said that the biggest concern is a summer surge, where large groups of people would be infected, putting pressure on hospital systems. 'We tend to see COVID come in waves, you know, in the summer and then again in the winter, so we're keeping an eye out to see how that wave crests here as cases start increasing,' he said. New Nimbus COVID-19 variant — What you need to know Wildfire burns 1500 acres in France Canyon in Garfield County, not contained Judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in Los Angeles Rubio: US 'not involved' in Israel's strike inside Iran Highland man threatened to kill his wife and himself with rifle over financial dispute, charges say Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah health experts voice concern over RFK Jr.'s changes to COVID vaccine guidelines
SALT LAKE CITY () — Secretary Kennedy announced that pregnant women and healthy children will no longer be recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine — a decision that's raising concern among some Utah health officials. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared the . 'The COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,' Kennedy said. Kennedy said the guidelines before President Trump's second term were not backed up by solid data. 'Last year the Biden Administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the complete booster strategy in children,' Kennedy said. Red Rock Canyon School faces lawsuit over employee's alleged sexual misconduct Kennedy's remarks sparked some concerns among Utahn health officials. 'Politics doesn't cause me to have a huge reaction anymore. We need to go back to the science and history and keep moving forward and recommending the vaccines,' Rich Lakin, Immunization Director for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, said. Lakin says the change could create confusion for some doctors and some insurance companies, because CDC recommendations often influence insurance coverage for private plans and Medicaid programs. 'The population they recommended not to receive the vaccine, we will know in the next several months if insurance companies will still cover for that population. That's the downside,' Lakin said. Utah is also one of many states seeing a drop in respiratory vaccination rates, including COVID-19 vaccinations. 'We reached a threshold of those who continued to get vaccinated and those who did not,' Lakin said. Man arrested after neighbor allegedly finds sexual videos of minor on his GoPro Lakin said it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why Utah's respiratory vaccination rates are going down, but he has some speculations. 'Misinformation, and now you have RFK, the Health and Human Services director, and as someone who isn't 100% on board with vaccinations, I'm sure people look at that,' Lakin said. Lakin also said that some people don't see the importance of vaccines anymore. It is still unclear how federal health officials will define healthy children or pregnant women, but RFK Jr. says this is a positive outcome. 'We are now one step closer to fulfilling the president's promise to make America healthy again,' Kennedy said. The FDA also recently to limit access to future COVID-19 shots only to people over 65 years old or those with underlying health conditions. Utah man, 41, messaged missing 15-year-old girl days before she disappeared: Documents Utah health experts voice concern over RFK Jr.'s changes to COVID vaccine guidelines Human foot found in shoe along Fish Lake shoreline may belong to man missing since 1997 Utah Department of Wildlife Resources inspects 11K boats for invasive species over Memorial Day weekend Experience the magic of your favorite Harry Potter™ movies up close at Harry Potter: The Exhibition Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
11-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Utah's cast of COVID characters: Where they are now
With a canceled NBA game, COVID-19 seized Utah's consciousness five years ago today. Here's a look at some major players in the pandemic, and where they are now. Dr. Angela Dunn: The Utah Department of Health epidemiologist became the face of COVID prevention in the state and online as her video updates made her a minor celebrity. Friction point: Dunn's strategy was more cautious than many Republican officials were willing to embrace, and conservative activists soon began protesting at her house. Dunn left UDOH in 2021 to run Salt Lake County's health department after state lawmakers banned most mask requirements. She later moved on to the CDC. Rudy Gobert: The Jazz center tested positive March 11, preempting that night's game in Oklahoma City. The NBA promptly suspended the season. Gobert was criticized for jokingly touching reporters' microphones earlier. "The media portrayed it like I caused the NBA to shut down, instead of saying that it's a pandemic and Rudy Gobert tested positive," Gobert told Ben Golliver in the book "Bubbleball." Gobert has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2022. The Wasatch fault: If anyone's nerves were still unfrayed by March 18, 2020, they were likely shredded when SLC awoke to a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that temporarily shut down the state's COVID response. The latest: Despite the looming threat of The Big One, lawmakers disbanded the state's seismic safety commission last year. A bill to replace it died last week. Former Gov. Gary Herbert: His containment measures were among the nation's least restrictive, per a New York Times analysis. Yes, but: He resisted activists' calls for a total "let 'er rip" approach. Herbert is now an advisor to the Utah-based Dignity Index initiative, which rates politicians' speech for contempt and violent rhetoric. Tom Hudachko: Clear public health messaging was critical in March 2020. But UDOH had just sidelined Hudachko, its longtime spokesperson, after "Condomgate" — a controversial HIV prevention campaign to distribute condoms labeled with Utah-themed sex jokes. Hudachko returned to the mic early in the pandemic. He is now a policy advisor for the Salt Lake County Council. Nomi Health: The tech company's TestUtah system was celebrated as a successful "public-private partnership." Then its early results were found to be questionable, its costs higher than government testing, its lab protocols repeatedly in violation of federal standards, its lucrative no-bid contracts guided by friends in state government, and its leadership dismissive of medical expertise. Nomi said the criticism was politically motivated. It is now managing direct contracts with health care providers for employers with self-funded insurance policies. Jeff Burton: The retired Utah National Guard adjutant general was hired to oversee UDOH a month into the pandemic. He withheld a state review of TestUtah's accuracy and promised a retest — but the audit didn't happen. Burton was elected to the state House later that year and was reelected in November to represent southern Utah County. Hydroxychloroquine: Utah officials ordered huge supplies of the malaria medication in March 2020 as right - wing personalities promoted it as a treatment for COVID-19. TestUtah was initially designed to identify patients and dispense the drug on the taxpayers' dime. The tech CEO running TestUtah had financial ties to the pharmacy poised to sell $8 million of the drug to the state. The plan was scrapped after the FDA warned of heart risks. A study cited by lawmakers to justify the purchase was retracted in December. Kristen Cox: The former head of the governor's budget office pushed the state's COVID strategy toward economic interests, filtering the medical data that reached Herbert's desk and interfering with health experts' recommendations, per a Salt Lake Tribune investigation. Cox stepped down that year and now is head of the U of U's Initiative on Government Improvement. Ivermectin: The anti-parasitic drug is not a proven COVID-19 treatment, despite its popularity on the right as an alternative medication. Patients became enraged when doctors refused to prescribe it and poison control calls spiked. It's still used for head lice and other skin conditions. Kim Bojórquez contributed to this report
