By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Although the confirmed case of COVID-19 in Anchorage is the single one so far in Alaska, Sitka’s school, health and government officials were continuing today to focus on prevention and mitigation.
“We’re trying to – as they say – slow down that curve,” said Mt. Edgecumbe High School Superintendent Janelle Vanasse.
She was referring to the contrasting curves – one shaped like a traffic cone and the other like a loaf of bread – which illustrate the difference between populations that take preventative measures (bread loaf), and those that don’t (traffic cone). (The general message is that populations that take prevention measures slow the spread and do not overwhelm the health care system.)
Other residential schools around the country are sending students home, but that’s not being considered at this time for Mt. Edgecumbe, Vanasse said. The school does have a three-phase plan that is being put into effect, she said.
“Stage one is prevention, when the virus is not in our community,” the superintendent said. This step includes substantial cleaning in classrooms, hand-washing, reducing times in communal and crowded areas, no self-service at lunch. The school is also considering breaking lunch into two periods.
If a case is identified in Sitka, the school will move into Phase II. That includes moving to a “controlled campus” where students would no longer be allowed to go into town for leave, or be in situations where they mix with people from town.
“If it comes to stage three we have a detailed plan on how to isolate student or students and the process we would to to achieve that,” Vanasse said.
The school’s health clinic has been working with SEARHC on the plan for serving the students.
FLATTENING THE CORONAVIRUS CURVE – Mitigation efforts like social distancing help reduce the disease caseload on any given date, and can keep the health care system from becoming overwhelmed. (Graphic from the New York Times, adapted from CDC/ The Economist)
“We don’t feel the need to close the school,” Vanasse said.
Families do have the option of bringing their child home, and the school will accommodate those families, she said. But she noted several advantages of being in Sitka, including the presence of SEARHC, and access to advanced health care. She noted some 60 percent of the students are from small communities.
In the Sitka School District, co-assistant superintendent Phil Burdick said, “We’re still at the prevention phase.”
SEARHC reported no confirmed cases have been reported in Sitka and tests have come back with negative results.
Officials of the region-wide health consortium, and sole provider of hospital services in Sitka, said it has increased its testing capabilities, and has enhanced patient screening. SEARHC has also launched a COVID-19 website, covid19.searhc.org.
The news release said SEARHC is trying to be proactive with increased testing availability (due to private companies entering the market) along with updated screening capability and additional COVID-19 patient education.
“Details of COVID-19 are constantly emerging, said Dr. Elliot Buhl, SEARHC vice president and chief medical officer. “It’s important that SEARHC is in possession of the most recent information to identify and treat cases, should they present themselves.”
City Administrator John Leach and other city officials said they are taking steps to prepare for when the first case is confirmed in Sitka. SEARHC, the Sitka School District and Sitka Tribe of Alaska are also part of the coordination team preparing for the virus.
“I hope it doesn’t happen – we’re setting up an emergency operations center working out of the fire hall,” Leach said today.
A special Assembly meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m. today for the fire chief and administrator to update the Assembly. Members of the public could listen in through the city website, or on KCAW-FM, in line with Centers for Disease Center advice on public gatherings.
The Sitka School District plans to make information available to staff, and is considering options for the future. Today was the last day of school before spring break.
SEARHC Communications Director Maegan Bosak said the expanded capabilities for testing are the result of private companies entering the market, but supplies are still limited and there are still criteria for who will be tested.
“Patients must be symptomatic, displaying a fever and cough or shortness of breath in addition to meeting exposure risk criteria,” she said. “These criteria now include travel to areas in the U.S. with significant outbreak occurrence such as Washington, California or New York as well as recent travel to China, Italy, Hong Kong and South Korea.”
The Sitka School District is considering its options, Burdick said.
“We’re trying to shrink the arc,” he said, “but we’re working with principals on a plan if we need to close the schools – at this time we’re not planning on closing schools. With spring break, there is the ability to socially distance people from each other.”
All of the district schools are getting a “deep clean” as a preventative measure, in particular the surfaces commonly touched by students. The situation is different at each school, so each principal has their own strategy.
“We’re all trying to be preventative and use precautions and arm our teachers with whatever is going to help,” Baranof Principal Jill Lecrone said.
A number of school and community events have been canceled, including Southeast Musicfest and Artfest.
Optional games at the Region V basketbal tournament in Juneau were canceled, and returning kids are being encouraged to return to their homes or their Mt. Edgecumbe dorm as soon as possible.
Burdick said there are some capabilities in the Sitka schools for learning from home, but it varies from school to school, and class to class.
“While we do have that capability it’s limited and some of our classes require hands-on or real time contact with the teacher,” said Sitka High Principal Laura Rogers. “That being said, it’s better to err on the side of caution in this situation.”
“Teachers are thinking about how they can deliver education,” Burdick said. Also under consideration is how to serve families relying on the schools’ free and reduced price meals. Burdick says closing schools is not an easy step, since it causes a raft of other problems. Those include child care, discouraging contact among the students out of school, and nonsymptomatic children infecting vulnerable adults.
“This is all really showing a lot of cracks in our systems,” Burdick said.
Burdick said it is fortunate that spring break is giving officials time to make contingency plans, if schools are closed. The district is keeping in touch with the Department of Education about the possibility of school closures, and watching what other school districts are doing.
“We’re trying to talk about prevention and talk to families about what you can do to prevent the spread – that’s where we’re putting our energy, and now this week thinking about what are those plans going to be, what are those contingencies put in place,” Burdick said. He ended by saying the school district has a number of school and staff participating in problem solving.
“I think we have a pretty good plan,” he said. “We have great staff thinking about how to deliver education, we have great staff thinking about how to make sure our kids get fed. ... They’re doing their jobs amazingly. Even if you’re not in a high risk population, you’re in a high-risk job with so many people around you.”
Looking at the days of virus containment ahead, Mt. Edgecumbe Superintendent Vanasse said, “We fully expect we’re going to have a lot of kids still here.”
She said the leaders in the community and health care providers have been working well together to communicate.
“I’m very pleased with the partnerships we’ve had with everyone in town,” she said. “We have a lot of support from SEARHC and our health clinic tied to SEARHC. And we’ve had a lot of support from the community to realize there’s some nice coordinated efforts going on and it says a lot about our community.”
Going into phase one two weeks ago, the school was fortunate to be well-fortified with cleaning supplies, and staff and students have been diligent in their sanitation and cleaning efforts, Vanasse said.
“It’s been helping fend off the common cold and normal flu as well,” she said.
