Sorted by date Results 626 - 650 of 1007
The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center has identified two more local cases of COVID-19 within a single household on Monday, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The two new cases are close contacts to a previous positive case, according to the press release. The two individuals have quarantined, and public health officials have been notified to begin contact tracing, according to the press release. Because the two individuals... Full story
Five more cases of COVID-19 were identified in town on Tuesday, bringing the local active case count back up to nine, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The five new cases are within the same household, according to the press release. The cases are close contacts of a previous positive case and have been in quarantine since the first household member tested positive for the virus. The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center is... Full story
January The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed establishing critical habitat areas for humpback whales in three distinct population segments located off Mexico, Central American and the Western Pacific. The Petersburg Borough sent a letter of disapproval to the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding the proposed critical habitat for humpback whales after residents spoke out against the proposal. The Petersburg Borough authorized the hire of Josh Rathmann to fill the...
Scott Newman had always wanted to fly float planes out of Petersburg. He had flown planes for both Pacific Wing and Pacific Wings on and off since the early 1990s. When COVID-19 shut down the latter air taxi service earlier this year, the DeHavilland Beaver went up for sale. "I really liked flying the Beaver," said Newman, who was born and raised in Petersburg. "It was kind of like my airplane of choice. When I flew for them, I tried to fly it as much as possible." He purchased the Beaver and...
A Petersburg resident who returned from out of state on Dec. 30 has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The individual was tested for COVID-19 three days before traveling back to town, and received the positive test result soon after landing in Petersburg. According to the joint press release, the individual is asymptomatic and in isolation. Another resident who returned to Petersburg from out of state on Dec...
Thank you Petersburg To the Editor: Thank you, Petersburg, for helping us all get through the 2020 salmon season safely and nearly COVID-19-free! Now it is winter, our selling season, and with every piece of fish we sell or eat, we are grateful for the changes you made to ensure the summer was a success. Although countless people helped make our gillnet season successful, there were many we didn't see so wish to acknowledge: OBI and Trident Seafoods with thoughtful, unwavering protocols; Karl...
It's clear that the actions of Petersburg's Emergency Operations Center, the Petersburg Medical Center staff and the State Public Health Nurse have played a huge part in keeping the Covid-19 virus at bay on Mitkof Island. The actions of these officials have been questioned, marginalized, and outright rejected in some cases. Public health leaders are constantly attempting to balance the impact of their decisions against the health consequences of inaction. It has nothing to do with restricting...
As Alaska faces its toughest budget squeeze ever, the state’s commercial fisheries are set to get a bit of a breather. But it is due more to fund swapping than lawmakers’ largess. For the commercial fisheries division, the largest within the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the preliminary FY2022 budget released by Governor Dunleavy reflects a slight increase to $72.8 million, compared to nearly $68 million last year. “I think we did really well this year,” said Sam Rabung, commercial fisheries division director, speaking last week at a Unit...
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...
