Due to increasing case positivity, the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center is raising the overall community risk to Level 3 High with a full implementation of the COVID-19 Community Mitigation Strategies. Since July 30, CBJ has been at a Modified-High Level 3 risk level with only the required masking strategy implemented.

The Delta variant is driving case transmission locally and statewide. Case counts continue at a high rate, averaging 16.56 new cases a day in Juneau for the month of August, which is the highest rate Juneau has experienced since the beginning of the pandemic; July saw an average of 7.26 new cases each day. As a result, Public Health is no longer able to adequately contact trace. Hospitals in Anchorage and Seattle are significantly restricted, limiting Bartlett Regional Hospital’s ability to medevac critical patients. Fortunately, BRH is not over patient capacity, but it is contending with staffing shortages and nationwide healthcare supply chain issues that will make it difficult if hospitalizations increase.

In the past 14 days (August 5 – 18), Juneau has had 263 new COVID-19 positive individuals in the community, a steady flow of COVID-positive patients at BRH, and two deaths. While Juneau’s vaccination rate is high – and individuals who are fully vaccinated are less likely to develop severe illness requiring hospitalization – there is still high case positivity in the unvaccinated populations, including children who are unable to be vaccinated.

The following community mitigation measures are effective as of 5 p.m. Friday, August 20:

• Masks must continue to be worn in all public indoor areas. Masks must be worn in public outdoor areas where 6 feet of distancing cannot be maintained. Keep your social bubble contained to family members.
• Indoor gatherings should be limited to 20 people with masks required; no size limit if all individuals are fully vaccinated. Six-feet distancing recommended for outdoor gatherings.
• Bars and restaurants must not exceed 50% indoor capacity, maintain 6 feet distance between patrons, maintain a patron list, and close at 11 p.m.
• Personal services must be by appointment only; no waiting areas.
• Gyms must not exceed 50% capacity; no group activities; limit indoor classes to fully vaccinated individuals only.
• Travelers arriving in Juneau should follow State of Alaska health advisories.

Read CBJ’s COVID-19 Risk Metrics and Mitigation Strategies here.

In addition to the community mitigation strategies, individuals can help contain the spread of COVID-19 – get vaccinated, mask up, keep your social bubble small, and get tested.

If you do test positive for COVID-19, and haven’t heard from Public Health, contact Public Health at 465-3353. In addition, notify your close contacts as soon as possible so they can quarantine and get tested. A close contact is anyone – masked or unmasked – who you were within 6 feet for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

For more information, email [email protected].

Over the 14-day period from August 2 to August 15, there were 204 people in the Juneau community who tested positive for COVID-19 (that’s up from 138 during the previous two weeks):

• 8 percent of the cases were associated with a cluster involving an out-of-town youth sports event. To date, 22 people have tested positive with 15 recovered.
• Public Health attributed 49 percent of cases to secondary transmission, 15 percent to community spread, 5 percent to out-of-state travel, and 31 percent of the cases remain under investigation.
• 62 percent of the COVID-19 positive cases in Juneau were from unvaccinated individuals or those still completing their vaccine series; 38 percent of the cases were among individuals who were fully vaccinated (vaccine breakthrough). 1.17 percent of the population who were not fully vaccinated were COVID-positive. 0.37 percent of the fully vaccinated population contracted COVID-19. Among those who test positive in Juneau, the significant majority of fully vaccinated individuals are reporting symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to an experience similar to a very bad cold or sinus infection. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals are reporting symptoms from asymptomatic to severe illness. At the statewide level, 92 percent of all cases, 94 percent of all hospitalizations, and 96 percent of deaths among Alaska residents from January 1 through August 7 were in people who were not fully vaccinated.
• 50 percent of cases were contacted for contact tracing within 24 hours of a positive test being returned. Public Health continues to have difficulty with contact tracing due to the volume of positives, the number of close contacts among positives, and some hesitancy once individuals are contacted to fully cooperate in the contact tracing process.
• There is case positivity spread across all age and racial groups.

The overall community risk level is modified Level 3 High. The 7- and 14-day case rates remain elevated at the very high alert level. The Delta variant is driving case transmission locally and statewide. Case counts continue at a high rate, averaging 14.5 new cases a day in Juneau for the month of August. This is the highest rate Juneau has experienced since the beginning of the pandemic. The community is urged to be cautious. Everyone regardless of vaccination status is now required to mask when indoors in public places. It is highly recommended that individuals limit social contact to mitigate disease spread and allow for effective contact tracing. Individuals should test immediately if they have even mild symptoms. Travelers arriving/returning to Juneau are also encouraged to take a free test at the airport. The single most effective strategy to mitigate COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.

Vaccine update:

• 70.2 percent of the total population of Juneau has received at least 1 dose of vaccine and 66.1 percent has completed the vaccine series.
• 91.8 percent of the population in Juneau age 65+ has received at least one dose of vaccine and 89.1 percent has completed the vaccine series.

For more information, read the full Emergency Operations Center Reports, which include weekly recaps, here. And watch today’s COVID-19 Community Update at 4 p.m. Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, plus others from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, will be joining members of the City and Borough of Juneau’s Emergency Operations Center.