| Updated: 9:51 p.m.
Sean Murphy has a trick to getting teen boys to relax when they’re nervous about getting jabbed in the arm with a COVID-19 vaccination.
Murphy, an EMT working at the Salt Lake County Health Department’s mass-vaccination site at Sandy’s Mountain America Expo Center, goes through the standard questionnaire with each person. He runs down a list of potential health conditions, and with the boys he will pause ever so slightly when he asks: “Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?”
The question made Christopher Whitehead, a 13-year-old from West Jordan, smile and made his dad, Chris, chuckle.
Health officials counting on local providers, community groups to reach those hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine
As numbers dwindle at mass vaccination sites, officials rely on grassroots efforts to reach those who haven’t gotten the shots yet
| May 14, 2021, 3:37 p.m.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dr. Edward Redd with the Bear River Health Department is filmed by two filmakers with Penna Powers ad agency May 11, 2021 for public service announcements to encourage Utahns to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Edward Redd, physician and soon-to-be regional TV pitchman, doesn’t want to tell people they have to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Governor ends K-12 mask mandate for the final week of school
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Laura Seitz, Deseret News
The state won’t require masks to be worn in K-12 schools during the final week of the school year, Gov. Spencer Cox announced Thursday, although he said local school districts could choose to continue the mandate put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“We felt like this was a really solid compromise,” the governor said during his weekly update on the state’s efforts against the deadly virus, held at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City. Some school superintendents had sought an end to the mandate, he said.
Utah Dept. of Health gives go ahead to start vaccinating kids 12+
Ron Harris/AP
and last updated 2021-05-12 19:18:42-04
SALT LAKE CITY â Following the guidance of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the Utah Department of Health has told providers to begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children 12-15 years old.
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According to state officials, approximately 215,000 children in Utah fall between the age category now eligible to receive a vaccine. Utah is one of the youngest states in the country, with a third of the state under the age of 18.
âThe sooner providers start vaccinating these kids the better,â said Gov. Spencer Cox in a statement. âMany Utah parents have been waiting for this news so they can make sure their families are more fully protected. This will mean safer gatherings with family and friends and an epic summer.â