With one 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.

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.

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 and its lucrative no-bid contracts guided by friends in state government.
• Nomi said the criticism was politically motivated.
• It is now managing direct contracts with health care providers for employers with self-funded insurance policies.

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 A study cited by lawmakers to justify the purchase was retracted in December.

Plus: Horse paste, the earthquake and Condomgate

We asked readers to share the moment they realized COVID-19 wasn't going anywhere.

Here's what you told us: "I lived in an apartment downtown at the start of COVID. I'll never forget how quiet the streets were with the lack of traffic. I had a view all the way down 200 East and the only notable lights were stop lights," Andrew G. wrote.

• "I knew it was for real when a couple hours after I'd checked into a hotel in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, cops showed up announcing they were shutting down the beach. I went up to the rooftop of the hotel and watched as cops began tackling hardcore surfers who were refusing to end their beach day." Justine M. said.
• "I was the administrative assistant in charge of the wonderful volunteers at the Huntsman Cancer hospital. It was my job to reach out to all 150 volunteers advising them that they were no longer able to serve. One of the saddest days ever!" Patrice wrote.

More record-scratch moments

The pandemic upended America's housing market, delivering wins for homeowners and roadblocks for those still dreaming.

Why it matters: Sky-high home prices, elevated mortgage rates and a shortage of houses for sale are pushing homeownership out of reach for many.

In the past five years, here's how the market transformed and what could come next.

1. Home prices skyrocketed

Cheap borrowing costs and remote work unleashed a homebuying frenzy early in the pandemic — and sent prices soaring.

By the numbers: Salt Lake City's median home price in January was $524,031, up around 36% from $385,500 five years ago, according to Redfin.

• Those who own their houses sit on a mountain of wealth.

The big picture: A stubborn housing shortfall is keeping prices high, even as buyers have retreated, with 2024 sales hitting a nearly 30-year low.

2. Rates surged, buyers stalled

Mortgage rates surged after falling to the lowest levels on record in 2021.

• Higher monthly payments are sidelining many home shoppers, especially first-timers.

Between the lines: Rates are now hovering near 7% and are unlikely to drop much soon, experts say.

Three more ways

📺 "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" is set to debut its second season on May 15. (Deadline)

• All 10 episodes will be ready to watch on Hulu.

💰 Around $900 million could be used to fund Salt Palace Convention Center and Abravanel Hall renovations under a bill sent to the governor. (Salt Lake Tribune)

💧 Gov. Spencer Cox said he plans to sign a bill that would ban adding fluoride to public drinking water. (AP)

• "It's not a bill I care that much about," he said, according to AP, "but it's a bill I will sign."

The History Channel's "Alone" was the most-searched title in Utah during the first six months of the COVID pandemic, according to data from Roku.

The intrigue: "Alone" is a reality TV show that follows participants competing for a cash prize to survive in the harsh wild.

• Contestants capture their own footage without a camera crew.

Zoom out: The show was also popular in Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

More shows and movies that got us through lockdown