The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 15 new Juneau residents identified with COVID-19 for October 5. There are currently two people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

The Juneau School District reports one new individual at Juneau Community Charter School who’s tested positive for COVID-19 and was infectious while in school. One class is quarantined as a result. COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on juneauschools.org (click on the green “COVID-19 Cases” block).

Juneau Public Health reports these generalized case trends for the past week:

• The range of ages in the current cases: 1 year old to 87 years old.
• The only current cluster of cases is at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
• Juneau continues to see a significant amount of household spread and as well as what appears to be community spread.

Statewide, DHSS reports 871 new people identified with COVID-19 – 835 are residents and 36 are nonresidents. The state also reports three recent deaths – a male Northwest Arctic resident in his 70s, a female Anchorage resident in her 40s, and a male Soldotna resident in his 70s – bringing the total number of resident deaths to 561. Alaska has had 113,857 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4,941 nonresidents.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 49 new individuals in the Juneau community – 45 residents and four nonresidents – identified with COVID-19 for October 2 – 4. For the nonresidents, DHSS lists the purpose as tourism/on a cruise ship. There are currently six people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

As of this morning, there are 143 active cases, including 38 cases in individuals age 18 and under, according to Juneau Public Health.

The Juneau School District reports five new individuals who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and were infectious while in school:

• Three at Sayéik: Gastineau Elementary (two classes quarantined as a result)
• One at Auke Bay Elementary (one class quarantined as a result)
• One at Mendenhall River Community School (four classes quarantined as a result)

COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on juneauschools.org (click on the green “COVID-19 Cases” block).

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 2,290 new people identified with COVID-19 – 2,235 are residents and 55 are nonresidents – in the past three days. The state also reports one recent death – a male Kusilvak Census Area resident in his 50s – bringing the total number of resident deaths to 558. Alaska has had 113,037 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4,904 nonresidents.

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly last week passed an ordinance extending COVID-19 Community Mitigation Strategies until March 1, unless terminated earlier. The mitigation strategies are a set of rules on masks/social distancing, large gatherings, restaurants/bars, personal services, gyms, and travel that are tied to the city’s current risk level. The higher the risk level, the more strict the rules, and vice versa. To be clear, the Assembly did not pass an ordinance requiring individuals to wear masks in indoor public areas until March 1; rather, the ordinance contains rules on masking that change depending on the severity of the disease situation. Read the ordinance here. Read CBJ’s COVID-19 Risk Metrics & Mitigation Strategies here.

Under the ordinance, Juneau’s disease situation can be classified as Fully Open, Minimal, Moderate, High, or Very High, and each classification connects to required mitigation measures. Currently, Juneau’s overall community risk is at High. That means:

• Masks/face coverings must be worn indoors in public areas regardless of vaccination status, and individuals should maintain 6-ft of distance.
• Indoor gatherings are limited to 20 people, masks required; no size limit if everyone is fully vaccinated; outdoors gatherings require 6-feet distancing.
• Personal services are by appointment only; no waiting areas.
• Restaurants and bars are limited to 50% indoor capacity, must close at 11 p.m. and maintain 6-feet distance between parties and a patron list.
• Gyms are limited to 50% capacity, can only hold scheduled indoor classes for fully vaccinated individuals, and not allow pick-up games.

Again, the measures for each category would change once the community is at a lower risk level. Likewise, they would change if Juneau went to a Very High risk level.

The previous ordinance establishing the mitigation strategies was set to expire at the end of October. Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, has seen a resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks, including the highly transmittable Delta variant that is resulting in a significant increase in positive cases. In August, Juneau averaged 21 new cases per day. In September, 24 new cases per day. In the past two weeks, the average new COVID-19 positive cases per day in Juneau is 34.

For more information, contact Emergency Operations Center Incident Commander/Deputy City Manager Robert Barr at 586-5240 or [email protected].

Crisis Standards of Care Designation

In response to the current statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, Bartlett Regional Hospital is included in a list of health care facilities from the state Division of Public Health activated for crisis standards of care. However, Bartlett is nowhere near re-allocating care for its patients. If the hospital reaches a level where staff is prioritizing care, the designation allows BRH to operate within the crisis standards of care framework.

“Don’t delay your care,” said Chief Nursing Officer Kim McDowell. “Rest assured we stand ready to care for you and serve the healthcare needs of our community.”

“Outpatient elective surgeries continue uninterrupted and surgeries that may require a post-operative stay in the hospital are assessed daily,” said Chief Operating Officer Vlad Toca.

Juneau’s case count continues to be high with five people currently hospitalized with the virus. Recovered patients are also being treated for lingering effects of COVID-19.  “While they’re no longer contagious, they’re still requiring a large amount of resources and specialty care,” said McDowell.

Medevacs

Challenges with transferring patients from rural communities to critical access hospitals was a factor in the state decision. “We know that our colleagues in Anchorage and Seattle are working extremely hard,” said McDowell. Transferring patients can add to already full hospitals. It is possible that a point may be reached where there is no room in traditional destinations for medevacs from Bartlett.

Relief Staff Onboarding

A state contract has provided five nurses to relieve exhausted healthcare providers nationwide through the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team. They are in Juneau this week and are onboarding in Bartlett’s Medical-Surgical Unit. Additional staff is scheduled to arrive in the coming days and will include OR nurses, surgical techs, and Certified Nurses Assistants. They are part of a group of about 500 sent to Alaska as it has the highest case rate in the nation, with several Anchorage healthcare institutions operating under crisis standards of care.

Community Thank you

“We want to thank our community members for adhering to virus mitigation measures that work: limiting social contacts, wearing a mask when you are around people outside your bubble, and getting vaccinated. If our community continues its strong support of these efforts, I am hopeful we won’t have to be in the position to implement prioritization of care,” said Interim CEO Kathy Callahan.

For more information, contact Bartlett Regional Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Kim McDowell at (907) 796-8310 or  [email protected]