By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka logged no additional positive COVID tests on Tuesday, bringing the case rate for the most recent seven days to below 300.
In all, 25 cases were reported in a week for a case rate of 293.32. (The case rate is the number of resident and nonresident cases in a week, adjusted for 100,000 population.)
Most of the 25 cases for the last seven days came earlier in the week, with 10 and 8 cases reported on October 20 and 21, respectively. The case rate will continue to drop if fewer cases – or no cases – are logged in the dashboard today and Thursday.
Case rates have gone up and down during the pandemic but have been much lower than the peak of 200 cases in a single week, with a corresponding case rate of 2,346.59, in mid July. Sitka got as low as 129.06 in recent weeks, but the rate in the last week had been going up until today.
The Department of Health and Social Services responded to a few additional questions on the 5 staff and 7 resident positive tests, in one of the neighborhoods at the Sitka Pioneers Home. The first case was identified last week.
Communications director Clinton Bennett said residents and staff aren’t required to be vaccinated, but DHSS strongly encourages employees, residents and family members “consider vaccination if they have not already been vaccinated.”
Bennett said 97 percent of the residents have been vaccinated at the Pioneers Home. He added staff members who tested positive are following CDC guidance for isolation of positive cases.
The Sitka School District sent out its regular report to families on Tuesday, clarifying that COVID vaccines aren’t required in the district, but the vaccination rate is high.
District Superintendent Frank Hauser provided updates on the proposed emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11, with pediatric doses expected to be one-third the size of adult doses.
“Please talk to your local health care provider for more information about the vaccine,” he said. “I’ll answer the following question again right now: COVID-19 vaccines are NOT required in SSD.”
Hauser reminded parents of the availability of optional rapid testing. A link to a form for parents to fill out is at:
sitkaschools.org/Page/3480.
