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Financial Relief Available Next Month For Utah Families Who Lost Loved Ones To COVID-19

Scott G. Winterton

Gov. Spencer Cox announced at his weekly briefing that financial help for funeral expenses will be available to families who lost loved ones due to COVID-19. 

“This program that FEMA will launch next month will be aimed at helping ease the financial stress and burden caused by the virus," he said.

The financial relief program for funeral expenses due to COVID-19 announced at Gov. Cox’s weekly briefing is from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will start next month.

According to Gov. Cox, Utah has lost around 2,088 people from COVID-19.

Gov. Cox said they do not have all the details yet, but wanted to give families time to start preparing their paperwork including death certificates indicating the cause of death was COVID-19. 

The financial assistance will be available to those who lost loved ones from the virus starting after January 20th of last year. 

“It’s a sobering issue, but it’s also a very positive issue," he said.

Gov. Cox was joined by Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson as well as state epidemiologist, Angela Dunn. The briefing was held in a vaccination clinic in Spanish Fork. Gov. Cox and his wife received their own vaccine promptly after the briefing. 

As of Thursday, 1,232,991 vaccine doses had been administered in the state, which is a weekly increase of 152,952 doses. 

Utah’s seven rolling day average of new COVID-19 cases is at 419, which is a decrease from last week’s 489.