COVID19 – Page 38 – City and Borough of Juneau

For moderate to severe immunocompromised, here’s where to get third vaccine dose in Juneau

People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial two doses to ensure adequate protection against COVID-19, as recommended by the CDC. The additional dose should take place at least 28 days after a second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna vaccine.

In Juneau, people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems can get a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at the following locations:

Capstone Clinic at Juneau International Airport offers Pfizer and Moderna (walk-in or by appointment at alaska.covidsecureapp.com)
Costco Pharmacy offers Moderna (walk-in or by appointment)
Fred Meyer Pharmacy offers Moderna (walk-in or by appointment)
Genoa Healthcare offers Pfizer (by appointment)
Juneau Public Health Center offers Pfizer (walk-in on Thursdays or by appointment)
Juneau Urgent & Family Care offers Pfizer and Moderna (walk-in or by appointment)
Safeway Pharmacy offers Moderna (walk-in only)
SEARHC Ethel Lund Medical Center offers Pfizer and Moderna (by appointment)

Go to Juneau.org/vaccine to make an appointment and to learn more.

This third dose of Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines is applicable only to people whose immune systems are moderately to severely compromised. This does not currently include people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If you’re unsure about whether you should be getting an additional dose of mRNA vaccine, talk to your health care provider.

CDC’s recommendation for a three-dose primary mRNA vaccine series for immunocompromised individuals was based on studies showing that many immunocompromised people are unable to mount a robust enough immune response after the initial two-dose primary mRNA vaccine series is completed. The additional dose reinforces and helps build the immune response to provide an acceptable level of effectiveness against a potential COVID-19 infection.

Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals include people who have:

Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
Advanced or untreated HIV infection
Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response

August 23rd, 2021|

BRH visitor policy & surgery update

To best protect our community and respond to the current surge in COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization, Bartlett Regional Hospital is updating its visitor policy and evaluating surgeries to determine the level of urgency.

“The surge of COVID-19 infections is concerning,” said Chief Executive Officer Rose Lawhorne. “We see increased deaths and serious illness related to this infection, particularly in the unvaccinated population. The Delta variant is more transmissible with higher viral loads, making symptoms more intense and having a greater impact on the health of our community.”

Visitor Policy

Admitted inpatients are allowed two designated visitors over the course of their stay, one per day. Visitors must be 16 years or older; visitors under this age would need an exception by the unit director or house supervisor on duty. Outpatients (receiving medical treatment without being admitted to the hospital) are allowed one visitor. Obstetrics patients are allowed one primary support person and one additional support person. No visitors are allowed in the Emergency Department unless exclusion criteria are met.

“While I know it is distressing to have limitations on visitors for patients in the hospital, it is critical that Bartlett provide the safest and best care possible with the increase in COVID-19 cases,” said Bartlett’s Patient and Family Advisor Nancy Davis. “We all need to support these safety efforts to protect everyone in the hospital-patients, visitors, and staff.”

Bartlett Regional Hospital understands the importance of having family support and patient advocates to assist the healing process of our patients. Variations, exclusions and accommodations to BRH Visitor Policies can be considered on a case-by-case basis. For questions or more details, please see the entire updated BRH Visitor Directive here. Visitors are required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times, in all areas of the hospital including within the patient room. All visitors will remain in the patient room or designated treatment or waiting area.

Surgery Update

In response to the current limited local and regional capacity to house and transfer patients, BRH is evaluating all surgeries with predictable inpatient post-op stays to determine level of urgency. BRH will however, postpone elective lower-acuity cases that will need inpatient care. This situation is assessed weekly, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis.

Bartlett leadership reminds the community that we all need to do our part to mitigate the spread of the Delta variant by getting back to the basics: get vaccinated, mask up in public, and maintain social distance recommendations.

“We acknowledge the economic impact and fatigue associated with mitigation measures, but we need all of you to help us get this surge under control. Together, we can make a difference,” said Lawhorne. “Thank you.”

August 23rd, 2021|

FDA grants full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.

“While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.”

The vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals. Read the FDA press release here.

August 23rd, 2021|

CBJ reports 35 new COVID-19 cases for Aug. 20

The City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center reports 35 new individuals – 34 residents and one nonresident – identified with COVID-19 for August 20. Of the resident cases, Public Health attributes four to secondary transmission, three to community spread, three to out-of-state travel, and the rest are under investigation. The nonresident is a tourist (secondary transmission). The cluster associated with an out-of-town youth sports event is now at 25 cases – five are active, 20 are recovered.

Cumulatively, Juneau has had 1,905 residents test positive for COVID-19 and 228 nonresidents. There are 216 active cases and 1,909 individuals have recovered. All individuals with active cases of COVID-19 are in isolation. There are currently four people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 471 new people identified with COVID-19 – 443 are residents and 28 are nonresidents. The state also reports two deaths – a male Hyder resident in his 80s and a female Anchorage resident in her 30s – bringing to the total number of resident deaths to 406. Alaska has had 79,479 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,677 nonresidents.

August 20th, 2021|

Juneau Public Libraries reduce hours starting Monday, Aug. 23

All three Juneau Public Libraries will have reduced hours starting Monday, August 23, as staff are reassigned to help with pandemic response. Juneau has been seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases in the community due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

As of Monday, August 23:

Downtown and Valley libraries are changing hours to
- Monday-Friday 12 – 6 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday 12 – 5 p.m.

Douglas library is changing hours to:
- Monday-Friday 3 – 6 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday 12 – 5 p.m.

Mitigation measures in place at the library, as well as other City and Borough of Juneau facilities, are adequate to prevent COVID-19 transmission; this temporary reduction is being made due to staffing shortages. Reduced library hours will allow library staff to be reassigned to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), enabling increased capacity for COVID-19 testing and quarantine/isolation services for the community while COVID-19 is spiking.

Other CBJ departments are also working on service reduction plans to meet the increased need for EOC operations. Members of the public interested in assisting with CBJ’s COVID-19 response should please consider applying to be an Emergency Worker.

For more information, contact Deputy City Manager Robert Barr at 586-5240 or [email protected].

August 20th, 2021|