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Petersburg Medical Center Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said at the COVID-19 community update on April 16 that the hospital will continue to vaccinate residents with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is under review. PMC will likely receive more information this week about whether it can resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Bryner said PMC currently has 120 doses of the vaccine. "For those people that have recently received the Johnson &...
Anyone arriving in Petersburg from another Alaskan community are no longer mandated to test for COVID-19 before and after their arrival in town after the Borough Assembly voted in favor of terminating Public Health Mandate #9 at their meeting on Monday. Instead, the assembly approved Public Health Alert #4. The health alert includes most of the same language as Public Health Mandate #9, but it recommends, not mandates, all intrastate travelers arriving at the James A. Johnson Airport and at the...
A deep dive To the Editor: The author of the Letter to The Editor entitled “Regulatory malfeasance” in the April 15 edition of The Pilot appears to be following her unfortunate practice of citing scientific studies, historical facts, or analogies that do not actually support her positions on issues ranging from fluoride in our drinking water, to face coverings to vaccines. In this letter, the author cited the thalidomide debacle for the reason to be distrustful of regulatory agencies such as the FDA, that “failed the public they are suppo... Full story
The Petersburg High School baseball team played their first games of the year in a preseason jamboree in Sitka last week. Although the Vikings lost the three games, Coach Jim Engell said the team had a strong showing in their first outing of the season. In Sitka, the Vikings were able to play on a ball field for the first time in almost two years. Last year's season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the weather this year prevented the team from practice on the Petersburg ball...
The Petersburg Borough will have to wait until June 2 to see its first cruise ship of the season following a change to the local tour ship schedule. In December, eight ships were expected to make a combined 85 stops in Petersburg. As of April 10, seven ships will be making a total of 66 stops. The Alaskan Dream will be the first cruise ship to stop in Petersburg on June 2. Previously, National Geographic's Venture was going to dock in town and kick off the local cruise ship season on May 11....
OBI Seafoods employed about 90 local residents for the 2021 tanner crab season in an effort to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 in the community, according to Plant Manager Nikolai Wendel. Additionally, the production season lasted just 10 days. Any employees who would have been brought into town from outside of the community would have had to arrive two weeks prior to the season to quarantine themselves. "To bring a crew up this early and quarantine them for two weeks for ten days worth...
The local Emergency Operations Center will be presenting the Borough Assembly with recommendations to change some local health mandates at their meeting on Monday. Incident Commander Karl Hagerman said the EOC's recommendations tie into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention move towards loosening COVID-19 protocols for Americans who are fully vaccinated against the virus. The recommendations also come at a time when Petersburg is reporting zero active cases of COVID-19 for the first tim...
Alaska fishermen displaced by the Covid pandemic are being recruited for seafaring jobs aboard U.S. cargo barges, tankers, towboats, military support vessels, research and cruise ships and more. The Seafarers International Union (SIU) is searching nationally for 300 apprentice workers on the vessels they are contracted to crew. Recruiters tout Alaskans as being at the top of their list. “The reason for that is people from Alaska come with a work ethic already. They've been working since they could stand up. And that's why they're so good,” sai...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state health department Tuesday said upcoming appointments for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska are being canceled or delayed after federal agencies recommended a “pause” to review reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. State health officials told reporters the federal recommendation shows that safety checks are working and they hope this bolsters rather than hinders confidence in the vaccine rollout. Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the state epidemiologist, said people with appoi...
The Emergency Operations Center reported four new cases of COVID-19 in Petersburg on Thursday, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. Three of the cases are limited to one household and are travel related, and the fourth case is still under investigation. All four individuals have been directed to isolate themselves. The four active cases are the first to be reported in the community in over two weeks. According to the press release, the... Full story
Just two weeks into the season, the Petersburg High School wrestling team has already competed in their first tournament this past weekend and will be competing in another tournament this weekend. The team took sixth place in the Brandon Pilot Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School, scoring 26 points over the course of the tournament. PHS wrestled against Mt. Edgecumbe, Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell and Thunder Mountain, who took first place in the tournament. The standouts for the Vikings...
A case of COVID-19 was identified through testing at the James A. Johnson Airport on April 1 and reported on April 2, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The incoming traveler was the eighth person to test positive for COVID-19 in about the last two weeks, though no new cases have been reported in the last seven days. According to the borough's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg was reporting two active cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday....
At the April 2 COVID-19 community update, Petersburg Medical Center Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said following the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Parks and Recreation community gym on April 9, PMC will be holding smaller vaccine clinics in the hospital as more vaccines become available. She said the state has increased Petersburg's allocation of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine by 50 doses, ahead of the April 9 clinic, where both the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines...
The mask requirement for all persons aboard fishing vessels still stands and Alaska’s U.S. Senators are adding their clout to have it removed. A Coast Guard Marine Safety Information Bulletin issued on March 22 states its authority to restrict vessel access to ports and operations if they fail to follow the rules as defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). “Vessels that have not implemented the mask requirement may be issued a Captain of the Port order directing the vessel’s movement and operations; repeated failure to impose the mask...
Next week the Petersburg High School baseball team is scheduled to have their first game in almost two years, after last year's season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Coach Jim Engell said the team has been practicing six days a week, since March 22, in preparation for their first two games of the season against Sitka beginning on April 14. However, Engell has to keep reminding both himself and the students to be patient as they play the sport for the first time in two years. Th...
The Lady Vikings took first place in the Region V 2A Division Regional Tournament in Ketchikan on March 27 with a team of only five players. The Petersburg High School girls basketball team went into the tournament with the number one seeding. After winning a match against Metlakatla, Craig played in the championship game against Petersburg. The Lady Vikings started off their game against the Lady Panthers with a burst of adrenaline, said Head Coach Dino Brock. They went into the second quarter...
The Petersburg High School boys basketball team took second place at the Region V 2A Division Regional Tournament on March 27 in Ketchikan, seven weeks after their last basketball game. The Vikings, who were seeded third, were just one of three teams that participated in Regionals this year, and their first match was against Haines. Additionally, all the players had to wear face masks on the court to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, which was a first for the Vikings. In the game against...
Vaccinations save lives To the Editor: Here is some important information that I have read about the vaccines that protect you against Covid-19: If you get Covid-19, it could infect your whole body and you could be sick for more than a week. This viral infection may damage many vital organs in your body such as your lungs, heart, and brain. This damage will probably heal but it could also last a long time and be life changing. Covid-19 is much more likely to cause long term damage to your body than the vaccines will. The vaccines, once they... Full story
The Emergency Operations Center will be scheduling a risk assessment meeting to discuss whether or not to increase the local risk level for COVID-19 from yellow to orange after seven cases of the virus were identified locally over the course of two days, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. Six individuals tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, five of whom were identified through PMC's symptomatic testing, and one case was identified...
Petersburg Medical Center will be having its next COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 9 at the Parks and Recreation Center's community gym. PMC Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said at the COVID-19 community update on March 26 that April 9's clinic will likely be the last large vaccine clinic as more and more residents become fully vaccinated. On April 9, PMC staff will be administering second doses of the Moderna vaccine and some first doses of that vaccine. PMC will also have 150 doses of...
Petersburg Medical Center has spent $1,950,159 in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 through Feb. 28, 2021, according to documents presented to the PMC Board of Directors at their meeting on March 25. At the onset of the pandemic, PMC created a new department in the facility to track its spending and income related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera. While the hospital has spent $1,950,159 on the pandemic, it has only been able to bring in...
It’s “back to the future” for Alaska canned salmon as more Americans choose it for its health benefits and as an easy-to-use ingredient for sandwiches, salads and more. Salmon canning in Alaska started in the 1870s and by the early 20th century, it was the state’s largest industry, generating 80% of the territorial tax revenues. Its position then in the state economy is one that oil enjoys today. The covid pandemic has pushed record sales for the pantry shelf product and canned salmon sales soared by 30.3% in 2020 to $286 million. “Sudden...
A case of COVID-19 was identified through testing at the James A. Johnson Airport on April 1, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The incoming traveler is the eighth person to test positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days. According to the borough's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg was reporting eight active cases of the virus as of Friday morning. The local positivity rate for COVID-19 is 3.5 percent. "That is higher than it... Full story
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will be hosting the Little Norway Festival this year, but it will be taking precautions to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Chamber administrator Mindy Lopez said the Little Norway Festival Committee has been planning for the festival since January but has only recently made the commitment to hold Mayfest this year. The Little Norway Festival will be held from May 13 through May 16 and is going to look a bit different from past...
The Borough Assembly set April 28 as a potential date to hold a work session with the Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors to discuss a new hospital facility at their Monday night meeting. The Borough Assembly was unanimously in its support of the meeting between the two entities, which is supposed to happen at least once a year. Assembly Member Bob Lynn, who is the assembly's liaison to the hospital board, said the work session would allow the assembly to ask questions about the new fac...
