Intermountain Healthcare asks Community to Continue Covid-19 Safety over Holidays

Courtney Morrison, RN, Med/Surg Manager at Park City Hospital receiving vaccination on Dec. 23. Photo: Courtesy of Intermountain Hospital

PARK CITY, Utah. — Until the majority of the population receives vaccinations, the next three months will be critical to supporting Intermountain Healthcare in its battle against Covid-19. The greatest barrier ahead for hospital caregivers will be the holiday season and the two weeks that follow.

“This needs to be a community initiative and we can get through this, the biggest favor you can pay us in healthcare is to be a vocal advocate for those measures,” Dr. Edward Stenehjem said in Wednesday’s Covid-19 update. 

This means a different holiday celebration than usual. Don’t gather with people outside your home, and if you do choose to gather, keep group numbers small and don’t gather with anyone high-risk. 

Stenehjem said, “Even though we did really well after Thanksgiving, we’ve seen some really sad stories in the hospital in the past couple weeks of the consequence of large Thanksgiving gatherings. There’s been a number of cases where we have grandma and grandpa both in the hospital with Covid-19 after a Thanksgiving day event. That’s just tragic to see.” 

Stenehjem said he hopes that Utahns heed medical professionals’ advice going into the holidays and new year. With more than 11,000 vaccinations scheduled for distribution in Utah within the first 10 days, he said he is hopeful about the upcoming months. 

“There truly is a light at the end of this tunnel…we’ve got an endpoint, we know where we’re going and it’s just a matter of getting there safely,” he said. 

Intermountain Covid-19 testing sites will be closed Dec. 25.