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Petersburg's Emergency Operations Center has released the draft of its risk communication plan and COVID-19 dashboard, which will monitor the status of the virus in the community and offer mitigation strategies based on the current risk level. The dashboard utilizes four risk levels ranging from green to red to gauge the local COVID-19 status. It also monitors the risk levels at Petersburg Medical Center and Petersburg School District. Data on the dashboard shows COVID-19 tests numbers and any...
PIA met need To the Editor: Mt. View Food Services would like to generously thank Petersburg Indian Association for applying for the CDC Grant which was geared to keeping senior citizens fed a nutritious meal during the pandemic. PIA knew of the need MVFS had for a new vehicle and the several attempts they applied for a grant before the pandemic happened to replace their unreliable vehicle. The grant was written specifically for PIA to assist MVFS in the purchase of a newer vehicle and pay for...
Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed within a single household Wednesday evening, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The individuals were showing symptoms and have been told to isolate themselves. According to the release, one member of the family recently traveled in the state, and the positive test result is likely related to their travel. PMC reported on Wednesday morning that 4,460 test samples have been collected to be tested for...
Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy. The magnitude of this failure is astonishing. According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the United States leads the world in Covid-19...
The Petersburg Medical Center staff member that tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday is thought to have contracted the virus locally, said Incident Commander Karl Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update on Friday, Oct. 2. The positive case of COVID-19 was detected during PMC's regular asymptomatic testing of its employees, said PMC Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom. The person immediately went into isolation and contract tracing has begun. "That gives us encouragement that...
Petersburg has gone 34 days since a case of COVID-19 was confirmed to be in the community. The last confirmed case of the virus was a non-resident who tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 14 and later recovered on Aug. 21. As of Wednesday, Sept. 23, Petersburg Medical Center reported 3,887 test samples have been collected to be tested for COVID-19 on site or at outside laboratories. Of those test samples collected, about 3,829 have returned negative and 45 are still pending. According to PMC, Ne...
Name: Brandi Thynes Age: 38 Experience: 3 yr term borough assembly 1 yr appointed school board Why do you seek public office? I enjoyed being on the assembly this last term and would like to continue to be an advocate for our community, especially in these odd and trying times. I understand the importance and privilege that comes with being a voice for my fellow constituents. Would you support a borough-wide face masking mandate? No. This has been strongly opposed by the community. The c...
On Friday, Sept. 11, Incident Commander Karl Hagerman said his voluntary community plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be released soon after weeks of drafting and editing. "Thankfully the virus situation in Petersburg has been well under control, but as we enter into flu season, we just don't know what's going to happen," said Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update last week. The document, which includes recommendations and best practices to limit the spread of the virus, was rev...
July 16, 1920 The health board was instructed to pick out a site and prepare plans for a pest house and present data at the next meeting. It was represented that smallpox has been raging in Wrangell for the past six months and that at any time it is liable to be brought to Petersburg. Health officer Carothers offered to vaccinate all who desired free of charge if the city will pay for the vaccine. The council voted to supply the vaccine for all free vaccinations as a precautionary measure and passed a resolution urging everyone to be...
The following editorial was posted to the newspaper website on Monday, July 13. My goodness. Doesn't anyone pay attention to the details? Short-term mandates proposed by the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center are necessary to prevent the spread of the Corona virus and resulting Covid-19 infections. Some mandates are voluntary. Some are short-term. Some are longer term. The borough assembly establishes termination dates for all legislation they enact. The EOC is granted its authority by the...
We are not done To the Editor: Until there is a vaccine or solid proof of acquired immunity we are not done. Being open requires participation in community safety. One cannot happen without the other. Social distancing, hand hygiene and those crazy ingenuous masks are a part of community safety. So is staying home when sick. And employers should do the right thing for the survival of their business to not make their employees choose between a day or a week without pay versus going to work sick....
Before residents cheer the expiration of Petersburg's face masking mandate, they need to remember that the reopening of many local businesses rely on the use of face masks by both employees and patrons according to state health mandate #16. According to the Borough's Incident Commander Karl Hagerman, "There is very, very strong language in the state's reopening plan regarding face coverings. The Emergency Operations Center will continue to emphasize face coverings as being an important factor...
Experts can disagree. And they ARE disagreeing, both about the lethality of the coronavirus, and about the appropriateness of the steps that have been taken to protect public health. Compare the differing perspectives of Knut M. Wittkowski, PhD, and Dr. Michael Ryan. Wittkowski, former head of the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design at the Rockefeller University, suggests children should return to school and pass the virus around just like every flu season, while... Full story
The Petersburg Public Health Center is hosting a Point of Dispensing or POD exercise on Fri., Nov. 9 from 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation gym. This will help Petersburg’s emergency responders practice giving medications or vaccines to a large group while actually giving participants this year’s flu vaccine at no cost. Even if you’ve already received this year’s flu shot, come to the POD to be counted, or to help out. Volunteers are needed. Even when influenza doesn’t reach the pandemic level, it’s still important to remember that...
The Petersburg Medical Center is currently vaccinating the public, six months and older, for influenza. "This is typically when we start vaccinating as soon as we get the vaccine, which can be in September, October and then we try to vaccinate people sooner rather than later," said Joy Janssen Clinic manager Jenna Olsen. Residents are encouraged to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. PMC also has a supply of the high dose for people 65 years of age or older, said Olsen. A flu shot clinic...
On Thursday, a cruise ship docked in Petersburg that sent several passengers to the ER. The first patient was tested positive for influenza. Petersburg Medical Center was waiting until the end of September or Oct. 1 to start immunizing staff members. "On Thursday, we decided to do it that afternoon," said director of nursing Jennifer Bryner at a Petersburg Medical Center board meeting on Wednesday. About 75 staff members were vaccinated on Thursday, and there are only a few left who needed to...
The end of 2017 saw more confirmed flu cases in Petersburg than any year since at least 2007, according to medical center lab records. The medical center lab released statistics on the flu season in Petersburg so far. The results, mostly from those tested in the lab from November and December, showed that 62 people were positive for the flu. Liz Bacom, laboratory director and infection control manager for the Petersburg Medical Center, uses a metaphor in responding to those who ask why they...
It's flu season, and the Petersburg Medical Center is reporting several cases -- more than usual, including some who were immunized -- but all signs are pointing toward a vaccination that works. "We have seen more cases than we normally see around this time of year," said Liz Bacom, the infection control manager with the medical center. "But it's not like this is an atypical year versus another. Every flu season is different. "We are getting cases but they aren't super serious," Bacom said....
Petersburg Rotarian Rick Braun traveled to India recently to administer polio vaccines and help build two dams to create a water retention reservoir. The reservoir will provide both crop irrigation water and raise the underground water table, enabling area wells to store more water for village residents. Braun has been a member of the Petersburg Rotary Club since 1987. The club has carried out fundraising projects for the organization's Polio Plus project for decades. Braun said polio has been...
School enrollment will be a little bit easier for parents and staff this year as the Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) was selected to pilot a program that will transmit vaccine records, sports physicals and other pertinent medical information directly to the school. “We’ve been asked to pilot a program through AeHN (Alaska eHealth Network), which is a state-affiliated program,” said PMC Informatics Director Jill Dormer at last Thursday’s hospital board meeting. “They are going to pay us…to set up an interface connection with the school dist...
It’s winding down, but it’s not over yet. “A big upswing” in type B influenza cases has served as a reminder that “the flu never truly goes away,” Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said. During the week of April 6, there were three type B cases and one type A reported in Petersburg. It drove Michael to send Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tips to the school district for parents. It’s not just here in Petersburg, the upswing in type B cases has been a national trend, according to the CDC. Michael said Petersburg’s... Full story
Influenza information To the Editor: Due to several recent influenza type A and type B cases in Petersburg this week I wanted to reiterate the importance of key flu prevention measures. CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first step in protecting against flu viruses. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a...
Next week is National Infant Immunization Week, and the Petersburg Public Health Center will be waiving administrative fees for those who stop in. “It’s just kind of a reminder to people how important it is to get infants vaccinated,” Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said. Held each year, the week highlights the need to protect infants from vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though those of all ages are welcome to get vaccinated in Petersburg. Michael said it’s a great week for those w...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Two adult Alaskans died from the flu in the past week, according to state health officials. The deaths are the first to be reported during Alaska's 2013-14 influenza season and the first since new rules requiring health care facilities to report adult flu deaths to the state took effect in late December. Before, Alaska only tracked deaths among children. The state has not been notified of any child deaths so far this flu season. “People think, ‘Oh it’s just the flu,’” said Dr. Brian Yablon, a state epidemiologist. “But flu ac...
