Eight new fires were reported in Alaska Monday, most of them in the Interior.
Four new deaths due to the Covid-19 virus were reported Friday, including one death of a Fairbanks woman in her 70s.
State epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin said that over 98% of hospitalizations related to Covid-19 have been still among people who are unvaccinated.
Visitors from other states or countries who are 12 years of age and older can get a Covid-19 vaccine in Alaska starting today.
To reflect the dwindling case numbers, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services will reduce its dashboard updates from daily to tri-weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, officials said in a news conference Thursday.
The 14-day average case rate was 8.82 cases per 100,000 people as of Tuesday, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. The case rate hasn’t been this low since last August.
The legislation, which is temporary, enables Alaska-bound cruise ships to bypass a requirement to dock in Canada in between U.S. stops.
No vaccination proof will be requested of unmasked people at borough facilities, such as the Mary Siah Recreation Center or the Juanita Helms Borough Administration Center, according to a statement from Mayor Bryce Ward.
The Covid-19 vaccines were rolled out comparatively quickly, but all the necessary studies were completed following regular processes, State Clinical Pharmacist Coleman Cutchins explained during Thursday’s news conference.
The Covid-19 virus transmission keeps slowing down in Fairbanks and statewide, with Alaska going into intermediate — or orange — statewide alert status, according to state health experts.
Health experts urge awareness even as cases trickle downward in the state.
“We are all tired of Covid. We are done with Covid. But, as many have said, Covid is not done with us,” Murkowski said, speaking Tuesday during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Following the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved and recommended it on Wednesday.
The virus started to slow down last week though the borough still led the state in virus transmission rates.
We invited Dr. Nace to answer some of the most common questions people in Fairbanks ask about Covid-19 vaccines.
In Alaska, that means 40,000 young people could get their vaccines starting this week.
Several dozen people joined the ranks of the vaccinated, while a steady trickle of people early Friday afternoon caught a flick. For a few hours, Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly DJed the event.
A record number of Covid patients, a lack of equipment to treat them, staff shortages and bed capacity are all issues Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is battling.
“We are looking at new different ways to get information and vaccinations out to people,” said Dr. Mark Simon, an emergency physician at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Since the patients tend to be in worse conditions, the risk of them dying is growing, according to the email. Besides, existing patients staying longer limit the number of beds for new patients.
