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The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center raised the local risk level for COVID-19 from yellow to orange on Monday after Petersburg saw six active cases of the virus within seven days, according to a joint media release between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. "Following the holidays, and some holiday travel, Petersburg is definitely seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases," said Incident Commander Karl Hagerman to the Borough Assembly at their meeting on Monday. Details of the... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center received 220 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday and has since begun vaccinating those who are most at risk, according to local health officials at the COVID-19 community update on Dec. 18. The vaccinations arrived on the afternoon jet from a cold storage facility in Anchorage, and almost immediately afterwards, PMC staff set to work. Mamie Nilsen, a registered nurse in the hospital's long term care facility, was the first person in Petersburg to receive th...
At the COVID-19 community update on Friday, Dec. 18 Incident Commander Karl Hagerman reminded the public to visit the borough's COVID-19 dashboard and risk communication plan and send any questions or comments to the Emergency Operations Center. The dashboard monitors the community's COVID-19 situation and the risk communication plan offers mitigation protocols that reflect the local risk level. "We want the plan to be well vetted by the public before we put it to the assembly for approval,"...
An ordinance adjusting the fiscal year 2021 borough budget for known changes, including the reallocation on COVID-19 funds, passed in its third reading on Monday by the Borough Assembly. Ordinance #2020-24 takes the remaining $275,000 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Support Act funds set aside for a one-time $500 utility credit for households struggling financially as a result of the pandemic and transfers it to three other COVID-19 related programs. Of the $275,000, $100,000 will go to...
Petersburg Medical Center purchased a new van for their long term care residents. The previous van was purchased in 2000, so the hospital was ready for an upgrade, said PMC Public Relations Coordinator Kelsey Lambe. The new bus will give residents a more comfortable ride and can be cleaned easier. Lambe said the old van has been outfitted with clear dividers so long term care residents can visit their family without the risk of spreading COVID-19....
For about the last 10 years, Erin Kandoll has hand-made jewelry out of metal, but her Twisted Ginger Trunk Show on Dec. 16 was her last art show for the foreseeable future as she enters the next phase of her life centered around natural healing and self-reflection. About 100 necklaces adorned with crystals and about 75 pairs of earrings made by Kandoll were on display at her show at FireLight Gallery & Framing last week. Although her art is taking her in a different direction, Kandoll said...
WRANGELL - Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska's chief medical officer, called in to a special meeting of the Wrangell Borough Assembly last Friday afternoon, Dec. 18, to give a brief update on the COVID-19 situation across the state. In her update she said that she is "cautiously optimistic" about the future, with vaccinations being rolled out and a slowdown in rising case numbers. "Across the state, as a whole, we're starting to see a tentative decline in the acceleration, which has been fantastic," she...
Alaska coastal communities will get a bit of an economic boost in 2021 from increased catches of Pacific cod. The stock, which crashed after a multi-year heat wave starting in 2014 wiped out several year classes, appears to be rebounding throughout the Gulf of Alaska. No cod fishery occurred at all this year in federally managed waters (from three to 200 miles out) where the bulk of the harvest is taken, and a catch of under six million pounds was allowed in state managed waters (out to three miles). For 2021, the North Pacific Fishery...
Dr. John Hoyt, medical director at Northwest Pathology in Bellingham, explained the science behind PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests and how the molecular diagnostic tests are the gold standard in COVID-19 testing at the COVID-19 community update on Dec. 11. According to Hoyt, the RNA in test samples is converted into DNA and placed into a sample well. It then goes through cycles of heating and cooling to amplify the sample. As it expands, probes that were placed on the sample also begin to...
As of Wednesday, Petersburg Medical Center had collected 6,359 test samples to be tested for COVID-19 onsite and at outside laboratories. Of those test samples collected, 6,268 have returned negative and 55 are still pending. There are currently zero cases of COVID-19 in the community, according to the Petersburg Borough. Incident Commander Karl Hagerman cautioned businesses and the public at the COVID-19 community update on Dec. 11 about Julebukking this year. The Emergency Operations Center...
Cite reports and references To the Editor: After reading Marc's letter, I have some questions. First, "... 99% of which are most likely over Age 75+ with serious other health problems." Please cite your reference for this statistic. Do you realize that when folks use a percentage in an argument, 97.3% of the time it was just made up? Second, "You can find just as many experts that will tell you masks, social distancing and this upcoming vaccine is wishful thinking." I cannot find them. Please ci...
Activities at Petersburg High School are set to resume later this winter and spring with basketball and cheer starting Jan. 11. The decision comes after an Alaska School Activities Association Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 8. Petersburg School District Activities Director Jaime Cabral serves as the president for the region and also attended a conference for activity directors across the nation. "We're still super fortunate," said Cabral. "I got to talk with quite a few [activity directors]...
The Wild Alaskan Company based in Homer has taken “mission based” seafood e-commerce to a whole new level. While many Alaska fishermen and groups sell boxes of seafood directly to customers and can claim several hundred monthly customers, Wild Alaskan has notched more than 140,000 seafood regulars since 2018 and since Covid hit, the company is adding 100 to 200 customers every day. The average order for their subscription service is $160 per month. Founder Arron Kallenberg calls it a “three generation overnight success,” referring back to 1926...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has begun receiving its initial doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, state officials announced Monday. Some hospitals had received vaccine Monday, and it was expected some Alaskans would be vaccinated as early as Monday, said Tessa Walker Linderman, co-lead of Alaska’s Vaccine Task Force. She said hospitals could decide whether to publicize the doses they are receiving. A vaccine shipment arrived Sunday night on a UPS plane, the state health department said in a statement. The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Coronavirus vaccinations reached the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage as the rollout spread across the state. Front-line medical workers at the center waited Tuesday to receive their first shot and get instructions on when to return for a second injection as part of the two-step process. “I’ve been looking forward to this,” Dr. David Zielke, a pulmonary critical care physician at the medical center, said before Emily Schubert, the employee health nurse, administered his shot. Zielke said he’s read the safet...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed an “extraordinary response” to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economy Friday, including about $5,000 in direct payments to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an infrastructure plan he said is intended to create jobs. “Alaskans are suffering now. Businesses are suffering now. This is the time for us to act. This is the time for us to act quickly,” he said in rolling out his budget plan for next year. The state’s economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with tourism and h...
The Borough Assembly failed to pass a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the borough and Petersburg Medical Center to provide COVID-19 asymptomatic testing at Mountain View Manor Assisted Living at their meeting on Monday. On Nov. 18, PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter sent an email to the borough and the Petersburg School District, suggesting the asymptomatic testing of employees at MVM AL and at PSD by the hospital. Hofstetter cited rising COVID-19 case numbers in congregate settings across the state...
With bright and colorful lights strung up around town and Christmas music playing inside businesses, there is no doubt that the date is approaching Dec. 25. Before it gets any closer to Christmas, the United States Postal Service is urging residents to mail their packages and presents to loved ones as early as possible. "This would be the right year to mail early," said James Boxrud, a spokesperson with the USPS. Post offices around the country are already seeing an increase in mail traveling...
Petersburg's Emergency Operations Center has released the draft of its risk communication plan and COVID-19 dashboard, which will monitor the status of the virus in the community and offer mitigation strategies based on the current risk level. The dashboard utilizes four risk levels ranging from green to red to gauge the local COVID-19 status. It also monitors the risk levels at Petersburg Medical Center and Petersburg School District. Data on the dashboard shows COVID-19 tests numbers and any...
The Borough Assembly passed an ordinance in its second reading on Monday that adjusts the fiscal year 2021 budget for known changes, which allocates unused funds from the borough's utility subsidy program to pay first responders and Emergency Operations Center staff with Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Support Act funds through December. The Borough Assembly previously budgeted $500,000 for a one-time $500 utility credit to households that were struggling financially as a result of the...
PIA met need To the Editor: Mt. View Food Services would like to generously thank Petersburg Indian Association for applying for the CDC Grant which was geared to keeping senior citizens fed a nutritious meal during the pandemic. PIA knew of the need MVFS had for a new vehicle and the several attempts they applied for a grant before the pandemic happened to replace their unreliable vehicle. The grant was written specifically for PIA to assist MVFS in the purchase of a newer vehicle and pay for...
Total expenses exceeded total operating revenue at Petersburg Medical Center for the month of October by $582,842, according to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera. The hospital had expected total operating revenue to reach $1,620,228 in October, but it only brought in $1,384,880. Expenses on the other hand saw an increase of 22.9 percent. PMC spent $1,967,772 in October but had budgeted for $1,600,937. Tejera said the reason for the discrepancy between expenses and total operating income comes from the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A third inmate within the Alaska Department of Corrections has died from complications related to COVID-19, the department said Tuesday. The 78-year-old with underlying conditions died Tuesday, four days after being taken from a correctional facility in Anchorage to a hospital, the department said. The person had been in custody since 2017 on a sexual abuse charge but was not sentenced, the department said. The two prior COVID-19-related deaths announced by the department involved individuals who had been held at the G...
JUNEAU Alaska (AP) — The traditional holiday open house at the governor’s mansion in Juneau won’t be held this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson for Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday. Spokesperson Jeff Turner, by email, said the pandemic “has fundamentally changed how Alaskans will observe the holidays. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the community of Juneau, the decision has been made to cancel this year’s holiday open house.’’ The mansion in years past has opened to the public for the event, with the gove...
Two more positive cases of COVID-19 were identified in Petersburg on Friday, Nov. 27, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The first individual was a Petersburg resident who became symptomatic for COVID-19 while out of state, according to the joint press release. Before returning to town, the infected individual followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for isolation. The individual tested positive for the virus...
