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Alaska had the biggest decline in average life expectancy of all U.S. states in 2021, a year when health outcomes were heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent national report. Alaska’s life expectancy in 2021 was 74.5 years, down from the average of 76.6 years in 2020, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, U.S. life expectancy declined by 0.6 years in that time, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in drug overdose deaths and other unintentional i...
In response to low bike helmet use in the community and close-call accidents involving children, an up-and-coming incentive project is bringing more helmets to the streets of Petersburg. In the works since spring, the Helmets Are Sweet project is a joint effort through Petersburg's SHARE Coalition to encourage the use of helmets by promoting and providing access to high-quality helmets, educating the community on proper wear, and rewarding individuals for wearing appropriate helmets. The goal...
State health officials have recorded 234 cases this year of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — through Sept. 9, more than were reported over the past seven years combined. About three-quarters of this year’s cases came in the past three months. Of the statewide total, SEARHC reports 11 in Southeast from June through early September, Lyndsey Y. Schaefer, communications director for the health care provider, said in an emailed statement Sept. 12. Privacy rules prevent SEARHC from disclosing the communities with whooping cough cases...
After a period when COVID-19 restrictions halted the spread of other respiratory diseases, Alaska had a big increase in influenza cases, state data shows. The overall influenza case load during the 2022-23 season was much higher than in prior years, reports a new bulletin issued by the epidemiology section of the Alaska Division of Public Health. Most notably, cases spiked much earlier in the season, in November and December, before dropping. There were five influenza deaths over the season, all among adults, according to the bulletin, the late... Full story
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday signed off on the approval from the agency’s independent vaccine advisers that recommended an updated coronavirus vaccine booster this fall. The CDC recommended boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for those who are 12 years old and older and from Moderna for those who are 18 and older. These are known as “bivalent” vaccines because they are formulated to protect against the original coronavirus strain as well as the omicron variant, which is highly contagious. “Updated COVID-19...
In early 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, we knew almost nothing about COVID-19. How did it spread? Who would get sick? How could we protect ourselves and each other? We saw hospitals being built and overflowing, first in China, then Italy and New York. Morgues filled across the world as health care facilities made desperate pleas for ventilators, personal protective equipment and additional health care workers. Here in Alaska, we scrambled to make our own testing supplies and to quickly build up our health care capacity. Public health w...
The Borough Assembly approved an emergency ordinance Friday which requires that masks must be worn inside all public indoor spaces. Petersburg saw a dramatic increase in cases in the week leading up to the meeting. The Petersburg Medical Center reported 15 new cases November 1, one of the highest recorded in a single day, and Friday saw the total number of active cases stand at 63. Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor called for the special assembly meeting to consider the emergency ordinance and...
The first 100 out-of-state health care workers have started arriving in Alaska to help at medical facilities overwhelmed with record patient counts due to surging COVID-19 infections. The state health department has contracted to bring on 470 health care workers, including about 300 nurses, to help the strained workforce. Alaska is using $87 million in federal funds to cover the costs. The first health care personnel reported to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage for orientation on Tuesday. The contractor said the remaining nurses,...
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases found in Alaska April 30 Between Feb. 1 and March 31, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services identified 152 positive cases of COVID-19 among people in the state who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a report from DHSS. About 74 percent of the vaccine breakthrough cases, or 112 individuals, were among people who had received the Pfizer vaccine, according to the report. Thirty-eight percent of the breakthrough cases had received the Moderna... Full story
TORONTO (AP) - Canada announced Monday it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into the country on Aug. 9 — without a 14-day quarantine requirement and with no restrictions on the reason for traveling — and will allow travelers from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. The open border will apply only to U.S. citizens at least 14 days past their vaccination shot, according to the Canadian government announcement. Travelers will be required to upload proof of vaccination to Canada’s web portal, and will be required to show proof of a...
WRANGELL - As of last week, employees, contractors and volunteers with the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, which operates in 19 communities, must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs or access to the facilities. Exceptions will be allowed for staff who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a history of anaphylaxis or allergy to the vaccine, or "persons whose sincere religious observances and practices related to life, purpose or death oppose vaccines,"...
Following the Little Norway Festival, Petersburg has reported two new cases of COVID-19, according to joint press releases from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The first positive case was reported on May 15. The individual was a non-resident who had traveled to Petersburg earlier in the week and tested positive for COVID-19 at the James A. Johnson Airport, according to a joint press release. The results of the COVID-19 test came back after the infected individual had...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter said at the COVID-19 community update on May 14 that kids as young as 12 years old had received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a small vaccination clinic that same day. An advisory committee within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted in favor of recommending the Pfizer vaccination to children as young as 12 years old just two days before. The vaccine had previously been available for children 16 years old and older....
The Anchorage Assembly voted last Friday to immediately revoke the city’s mask mandate. On the same day, legislative leaders voted to make mask-wearing optional at the state Capitol — and then shed their own face coverings after the vote. The decision by the Legislative Council followed new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The new legislative policy recommends weekly testing for those who are not fully vaccinated and for those with COVID-19 symptoms or who...
On Tuesday, the state reported 72.94 percent of Petersburg residents had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which was the second highest percentage in the state after Skagway Municipality. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard reported 51 percent of Petersburg residents had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. The Petersburg Borough's COVID-19 Dashboard and the state's COVID-19 Dashboard show two different numbers for the percentage of local residents who have received at...
The Borough Assembly approved an amendment to the interstate and international travel mandate on Monday to allow anyone coming into the community from outside of the state who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to forego testing and isolation requirements. The Emergency Operations Center recommended that Public Health Mandate #10 stay in place due to slow vaccination rates in other parts of the country but be amended to do away with testing and isolation requirements for incoming travelers...
Petersburg Medical Center Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said at the COVID-19 community update on April 16 that the hospital will continue to vaccinate residents with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is under review. PMC will likely receive more information this week about whether it can resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Bryner said PMC currently has 120 doses of the vaccine. "For those people that have recently received the Johnson &...
Anyone arriving in Petersburg from another Alaskan community are no longer mandated to test for COVID-19 before and after their arrival in town after the Borough Assembly voted in favor of terminating Public Health Mandate #9 at their meeting on Monday. Instead, the assembly approved Public Health Alert #4. The health alert includes most of the same language as Public Health Mandate #9, but it recommends, not mandates, all intrastate travelers arriving at the James A. Johnson Airport and at the...
The local Emergency Operations Center will be presenting the Borough Assembly with recommendations to change some local health mandates at their meeting on Monday. Incident Commander Karl Hagerman said the EOC's recommendations tie into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention move towards loosening COVID-19 protocols for Americans who are fully vaccinated against the virus. The recommendations also come at a time when Petersburg is reporting zero active cases of COVID-19 for the first tim...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state health department Tuesday said upcoming appointments for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska are being canceled or delayed after federal agencies recommended a “pause” to review reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. State health officials told reporters the federal recommendation shows that safety checks are working and they hope this bolsters rather than hinders confidence in the vaccine rollout. Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the state epidemiologist, said people with appoi...
A case of COVID-19 was identified through testing at the James A. Johnson Airport on April 1 and reported on April 2, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The incoming traveler was the eighth person to test positive for COVID-19 in about the last two weeks, though no new cases have been reported in the last seven days. According to the borough's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg was reporting two active cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday....
The Emergency Operations Center will be scheduling a risk assessment meeting to discuss whether or not to increase the local risk level for COVID-19 from yellow to orange after seven cases of the virus were identified locally over the course of two days, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. Six individuals tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, five of whom were identified through PMC's symptomatic testing, and one case was identified...
Petersburg Medical Center vaccinated about 350 residents ages 65 and older during the COVID-19 vaccine drive on Jan. 14 at the Petersburg School District community gym, according to PMC Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner at the COVID-19 community update on Jan. 15. "It felt really great immunizing so many people in our community and getting that first step to having a safer community and decreasing the risk for people to become ill and hospitalized or worse with COVID," said Bryner. Coupled wit...
Two more positive cases of COVID-19 were identified in Petersburg on Friday, Nov. 27, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The first individual was a Petersburg resident who became symptomatic for COVID-19 while out of state, according to the joint press release. Before returning to town, the infected individual followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for isolation. The individual tested positive for the virus...
Three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in town since last week's COVID-19 community update, according to joint press releases between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The first two cases were identified on the morning of Nov. 14. One positive case was confirmed to be a local resident who is traveling out of state, according to a joint press release. The individual is isolated at their destination and will remain there until they have recovered. The person was not in...
