By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Another 37 cases were added Wednesday to Sitka’s COVID dashboard, including at least five who are too young to be eligible for vaccination.
Two of the 37 were nonresidents.
The rolling case average went to 17.43 cases per day, based on positive tests from the last 14 days. Another 16 positive tests were added to the dashboard by 2 p.m. today, but weren’t yet counted in the case rate. The dashboard is updated at 8 p.m. weekdays.
Contact tracing is in process for most cases, local authorities said, There are four COVID patients in the Sitka hospital, the SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center.
Sitka has 237 active cases at this time, about one third of the cumulative total of 669. Since the arrival of the pandemic in Sitka last year, 23 patients with COVID have required hospitalization and two Sitkans have died of it.
Incident Commander Craig Warren reported on COVID in Sitka at the meeting of the Unified Command group Wednesday.
Warren said he has been receiving a number of calls and emails related to the dramatic rise in Sitka’s case numbers the last two weeks.
“I want citizens to know that we are hearing what you’re saying,” the fire chief said.
He added that the authority of the Emergency Operations Center is limited, with a role to “advise and recommend” to the public and the Assembly.
“We’re asking Sitkans to do what’s right,” he said. “Get vaccinated, wear a mask, socially distance and practice good hygiene. Everyone that is concerned about sickness should look at your own practices over the last month: have you changed your habits, your business practices, have you changed your social activities?”
Vaccinated or not you should wear a mask “due to the number of breakthroughs and that some of those breakthroughs have even been transmitted to other people,” Warren said.
“This is a stopgap measure for what is happening now,” he said. “We’re hoping that we will get through this fight, we will drop back down and we will get to take our masks off again.”
At the end of the Unified Command meeting he said it’s up to the individual to “stop and think” about what’s right by them, their family their community.
“Are you doing your part?” he said. “It has to start with the individual, it can’t start with what other people are doing. This body is not able to legislate people into doing what’s correct. We have to appeal to people’s good nature.”
Warren passed on a message from SEARHC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elliot Bruhl, who was unable to make it to the meeting.
“At this point there are three to seven cases on the floor on any given day; today there are four on the floor,” Warren said, reading Bruhl’s message.
He said he was told SEARHC is keeping up with the increase in testing, with a facility across from the main entrance of the hospital open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a plan to expand its vaccination clinics. Registration for vaccinations at SEARHC is at covid19.searhc.org.
Harry Race Pharmacy plans a vaccination clinic on Friday, with signup at sitkapharmacies.com. Pharmacist Trish White said Friday’s clinic is getting booked up, and encouraged those not able to get an appointment to go on the waiting list.
SEARHC spokeswoman Maegan Bosak said today the health consortium has vaccinated 66 people so far this week with 18 scheduled for today.
Sitka’s partial vaccination rate went above 75 percent this week. A total of 5,545 of Sitkans age 12 and up are at least partially vaccinated, and 5,180 are fully vaccinated (70 percent).
Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing reported more than 100 a day are being tested, and encouraged the public to “keep with the high alert suggestions.”
“Be kind to one another, keep social distance, keep social bubbles, test when symptomatic,” she said.
With regard to testing, Planning Section Chief Rob Janik said that testing is available for symptomatic, exposed and asymptomatic individuals. He said if a patient had insurance, it would be billed with no co-pay required, and there were zero out of pocket costs regardless of insurance. He also recommended residents to get tested if symptomatic.
From the schools, Mt. Edgecumbe High School Superintendent Janelle Vanasse said she and her staff are working on the COVID plan for next year, and incorporating the new CDC guidelines.
“We fully expect to operate in ‘high’ when kids do come, but we are planning in-person school, and for kids to come in late August,” Vanasse said.
Sitka School District Superintendent Frank Hauser said he and his staff are working with public health officials, and monitoring the number of cases in Sitka, as he prepares for the opening of schools.
“We’re continuing to have the protocols and toolkit of layered mitigations in place that served the school district so well last year, including mitigations like masking and physical distancing,” he said. “We have also applied for a grant that will allow for weekly optional COVID-19 screening testing for all SSD students and staff. And we’ll have more information about the weekly optional testing as we get closer to the start of the school year.”
Hauser said the district is in the process of installing air ionization units in all of the schools.
“This will aid in the air purification and removal of particulates from the air,” he said.
Adam Kersch, Sitka Tribe of Alaska Covid coordinator, said STA continues to monitor the High Alert situation. He said employees have been asked to hunker down, limit trips outside of their home, and generally limit interactions with others outside their household.
Kersch said STA continues to encourage tribal citizens to get vaccinated, and said STA offices were closed to the public except by appointment. Also closed are the Pull Tab and Bingo facilities. He said most employees were working from home.
City public and government relations director Melissa Henshaw talked about the ongoing effort to keep the public informed, including a new video of former Fire Chief Dave Miller encouraging vaccinations and other precautions. She said there have been more than 2,700 views of the video.
Henshaw said today she is working on incorporating travel advice onto the COVID-19 page at cityofsitka.org, and will be adding a recommendation to avoid large indoor gatherings while the city is on “high” alert.
