Tag: coronavirus

Now vaccine eligible, Anchorage teachers ready to get back to class

Initially, teachers were separated into different eligibility tiers, but the state changed course, opening vaccines to educators of all ages.

To face 2020 head-on, one Anchorage tour company branched out

In the last year, employees at Salmon Berry Tours delivered groceries, plants and Christmas Trees. They also took on a new role in Hatcher Pass.
a person pipettes something into a tray

Scientists team up to make Alaska a leader in the hunt for new COVID-19 strains

Alaska's health department has pulled together a group of researchers from the state's public health labs and its university system in hopes of speeding up and expanding its search for more contagious strains of COVID-19.

Several Mat-Su schools close after increase of COVID-19 cases tied to maskless sports, activities

Several Matanuska-Susitna Borough schools remain closed this week amid an increase in COVID-19 infections that the school district attributes mostly to student athletes going maskless while playing indoor sports.

Iditarod cancels 2021 ceremonial start in Anchorage

The sled dog race has called off this year’s 11-mile dash through Anchorage because of coronavirus concerns.
Packages of disposable face masks for sale at a grocery store.

Yes, in some cases, two face masks are better than one, Alaska health experts say

Even though there has been just one confirmed case of a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant in Alaska, health officials say now is the time to upgrade your single-layer cloth mask.
a person holds a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine

Eligibility differences between state and tribal health systems frustrate some Alaskans waiting for vaccines

Anchorage's main tribal health provider is vaccinating employees of its affiliated for-profit company and nonprofit organizations without regard to their race, age or vulnerability — frustrating some of the teachers, people with underlying conditions and others enduring an excruciating wait for shots from state government.
City buildings stand in front of a mountain range

With modest job growth expected in 2021, Anchorage’s economic leaders show cautious optimism

The forecast predicts Anchorage will add 4,000 jobs this year.

The new, more contagious COVID-19 strain arrived in Alaska — a month ago

Identifying the strain of a positive COVID-19 test typically takes about five days. But with these particular samples, workers at a Fairbanks lab encountered a string of technical problems that delayed the results.
Some buildings next to the water against a hill

COVID-19 outbreak grows at remote Aleutian fish plant

At least 15 people considered at "high-risk" from COVID-19 are being moved by ship to Unalaska, state health officials said. Two more were evacuated to an Anchorage hospital.

Alaska announces first case of more contagious strain of COVID-19

State health officials say they've detected the first case of the COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom in Alaska, which appears to spread more easily and quickly.
A cruiste ship pulls into a mountain town

Legislative intern drove to Haines, boarded flight to Juneau after testing positive for COVID-19

A 21-year-old University of Alaska student tested positive for COVID-19 in Anchorage just before he drove to Haines with his mother during the first week of January.
A white woman in blue maskspeks

Officials expect no new COVID-19 vaccine eligibility through February

Eligibility criteria for COVID-19 vaccines in Alaska is expected to remain the same through much of February, with a continued focus on vaccinating those 65 and older, a vaccine official said Monday.
A person gets tested for coronavirus.

The COVID-19 testing crunch is over. But fewer Alaskans are getting tests — a trend officials want to change.

Supply shortages have relented. And a company built the state’s first commercial testing lab, with the ability to process 20,000 tests a day. Now, there’s a new and different problem: Fewer Alaskans are getting tested.

COVID-19 closes a third Aleutian plant, stranding Bering Sea fishermen at the dock

In the Aleutian port town of Unalaska, at least five local boats are stuck at the dock with nowhere to deliver their cod after the shutdown of the Alyeska Seafoods processing plant. One has a load of fish worth at least $10,000.
Two crew men shovel a deck full of fish on board a large boat

‘Everybody’s worst nightmare’: Bering Sea fishermen on edge after COVID-19 closes second plant

The winter fishery for Bering Sea pollock, which goes into products like McDonald's fish sandwiches, officially opened Wednesday. But two of the region's largest processors are both shut down
A white woman with glasses speaks at a podium

Why Alaska has the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate of all 50 states

Part of the reason is that Alaska is getting more doses of the vaccine because of additional allotments for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service.
A doctor hols a vaccine syringe

24 Alaskans die of COVID-19 as state’s vaccination rate tops nation

Only one of the deaths reported Wednesday was considered recent.
A health worker in a blue gown swabs travelers waiting in line outside the bethel airport

Y-K Delta health corporation recommends regional lockdown for third straight month

The region has recorded the highest COVID-19 rates in the state for months.