Petersburg records second death from COVID-19

Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service’s COVID-19 Dashboard.

The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 26 with 54.3% of the population fully vaccinated.

Alaska had 447 new cases reported between July 21 and 22, which has also seen the statewide alert level remain high. The alert level is determined by the average daily case rate per 100,000 people over 14 days. A daily average over that period of 10 new cases per 100,000 is required for the high alert level. The Northern Southeast Alaska region, which includes Petersburg, Wrangell, and Sitka, is reporting 89.30 cases per 100,000 as of July 23.

This rise in cases has been linked to the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 across the state. The Petersburg Medical Center is advising residents to monitor for symptoms and get tested early to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 illness. Free asymptomatic testing is available and can be scheduled by calling the COVID Information Line at 907-772-5788.

Those requiring ambulance transport who are experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms are asked to inform the 911 dispatcher of their symptoms

According to PMC, over 95% of hospitalized patients in Alaska are unvaccinated. Vaccines can be scheduled by calling the number above.

The Center for Disease Control advises people to continue taking precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19 by continuing to wear masks at public indoor locations, social distancing, and regularly getting tested.