Dr. Bert Lopansri receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Thursday, Dec. 17. Lopansri, an infectious disease specialist, is one of the first Summit County residents to receive a vaccine. He said the vaccine is the first step in a new phase of the pandemic, but cautioned people to continue to follow health guidelines, and said that every COVID-19 death is preventable.
Courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare
When he bared his left arm around 10 a.m. Thursday, Dr. Bert Lopansri became one of the first Summit County residents to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot, starting the process toward inoculation against the virus that has wreaked havoc, relatively unchecked, for nine months.
in grants provided by Summit County’s federal coronavirus relief funds, with the bulk of the money going to one nonprofit to deliver direct aid to families struggling with the threat of homelessness.
Jewish Family Service was awarded nearly $420,000, most of which Executive Director Ellen Silver said would be used for direct assistance, like rent payments.
“We’re thrilled because it just gives us the opportunity to help people who are so in need right now,” Silver said. “There’s still people who are out of work, or families that end up having to quarantine, and so there’s no income coming in. And so this funding allows us to continue to provide much-needed assistance to them and make sure we have a community where everybody has a roof over their head.”