By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka’s COVID risk level continued downward into the single digits today, with a rolling case rate average of 8.79.
“It seems that our case rate truly is trending down,” acting Incident Commander Rob Janik told others in his opening comments at the Unified Command meeting Wednesday.
Booster shots, a renewed call to promote vaccinations, and the lower number of COVID patients in the hospital were all brought up at the weekly meeting.
Sitka’s risk level is still firmly in the “high” range – since the rate is well over one case a day – but it’s the lowest the 14-day average has been in a month.
Five resident cases were added to the dashboard on Wednesday, and as of 8 p.m. Wednesday the community still had 81 active cases.
Janik said the case trend is heading in the right direction.
“I want to commend the citizens, the businesses, the visitors to Sitka to taking those mitigation efforts that really truly make a difference,” Janik said. “That’s where we beat this thing. It’s the simple stuff: maintaining social distance, wearing masks when we’re around others. It’s washing our hands and limiting the size of the groups that we gather in.”
Dr. Elliot Bruhl, chief medical officer at SEARHC, said the number of COVID inpatients in the hospital has gone from a high of 12 last week down to one or two in the last two days.
But he added: “It’s also concerning as we are continuing to see some patients who are extremely sick. And the other thing that concerns me is that a lot of the patients who are severely sick have been younger people, in their 30s and 40s and 50s.”
This is consistent with state and national trends of those “very sick with this Delta variant,” and most of them are unvaccinated, he said.
“The vaccine is not perfect but it does prevent hospitalization and death for most people,” Bruhl said. He estimated that 97 to 98 percent of those hospitalized or dying are unvaccinated.
Bruhl said FDA approval of booster shots for immuno–compromised people is expected soon, and national media today predicted it will occur within the next two days.
Providers estimate more than 100 Sitkans are being vaccinated weekly at SEARHC and Harry Race Pharmacy vaccination clinics.
Also, SEARHC is offering monoclonal antibody treatment to high risk individuals who test positive for COVID, and don’t need admission to the hospital. That category includes people with diabetes, lung disease or heart disease. The treatment has been shown to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and death, Bruhl said.
Bruhl said Haines is the latest community seeing a surge in cases.
“What’s instructional about that for us here is that this is coming about a week following the large gathering for the state fair that was held in Haines,” he said. “Just think about the fact that creating large venues where people will be gathering is not advisable at this time. It’s unfortunate, it’s disappointing but this is where we’re at right now.”
Bruhl said Wrangell is now requiring unvaccinated people to be tested before they enter the community.
“We do not do that in Sitka,” he said. “I would urge our community to consider that. I think that it would be an added level of safety for the community considering the many hundreds of people that enter the community each day.”
Bruhl said other work he’s doing is related to helping Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe schools prepare for the year, with assistance on mitigation plans and providing additional test kits.
Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing stressed that masks make a difference in controlling the spread of the virus.
She raised concerns about the delta variant’s effect on young children.
“With schools opening, we want to keep everybody safe and we want to be as knowledgeable as we can going into it so that our mitigation efforts work and our kids stay safe and our families stay healthy,” Ewing said.
Officials figures show that in July there were 90 COVID positive children (0-19) in Sitka, and an additional 17 so far in August, most of them symptomatic.
“Most of those children have varying degrees of symptoms,” Ewing said. “Some is just really minor and some go to the hospital and be treated for COVID in the emergency room.”
She also raised concern about the increasing incidence of hypoxia, which is the lack of oxygen in the body. Symptoms of hypoxia include confusion, cough, fast heart rate, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, slow heart rate, sweating and wheezing – all of which should prompt a call to 911.
Silent hypoxia, Ewing said, “is what we’re seeing with this Delta variant.” Symptoms include those listed above, change of color of lips or skin from their natural color, and “profuse sweating, even when you’re not really doing any physical hard work,” Ewing said.
Oxygen level in the body can be measured with a pulse oximeter, a simple device that clips onto a finger.
“Anything that dips below 94 percent on that pulse ox, you should be seen,” she said. She suggested keeping one in the house. “It’s not to be scary, it’s to be prudent,” Ewing said.
Janik’s opening statement was to the public at large. Vaccination “is the single most underlying, single most important thing that you can do to protect yourself from this pandemic,” he said. He pointed to “the raging current of disinformation about vaccines,” saying “most of it is just plain wrong.”
“So talk to a trusted healthcare provider who could give you their best opinion, educated opinion, on vaccination and how it will fit with your life,” Janik said.
Harry Race pharmacist Trish White said three vaccines will be available at the Friday Harry Race clinic. It will start at 10 a.m. in the space next door to the downtown pharmacy. Spaces are filling up, “which makes me happy,” White said.
Janelle Vanasse, superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School, reported on plans for starting classes at the state boarding school. Initially there will be quarantine and testing, among other precautions. She estimated the school will reach a vaccination rate of at least 80 percent.
Sitka school superintendent Frank Hauser said the schools will return to full-day instruction this year, and plan a layered approach of mitigation strategies to make in-person learning “as safe as possible.”
Hauser also said the REACH home-based program is still available for those not ready to return to in–school learning. Those with questions may call 747–7514.
Anne Davis, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska representative, that STA employees were still working from home, they were social distancing and their offices were closed to the public.
Sign-up for vaccinations is at sitkapharmacies.com and covid19.searhc.org
Testing at SEARHC is available noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday in the parking lot across the street from the hospital entrance.
