The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 21 new individuals in the Juneau community – 20 residents and one nonresident – identified with COVID-19 for October 20. DHSS also reports one new death in Juneau due to COVID-19. A Juneau resident in her 50s died this month. CBJ extends condolences to family members and friends of this individual. There are 13 total deaths associated with Juneau – 12 residents (two died out of state) and one nonresident (death occurred outside Juneau).

According to Juneau Public Health, there are about 211 active cases. Of those, 73 cases are from individuals age 18 or under, and 48 cases are from individuals under 12. There are currently three people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

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

• Two at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School
• Three from Thunder Mountain High School at an extracurricular activity

There has been no student attendance at schools this week due to the Alaska Day holiday, parent-teacher conferences, and staff in-service. COVID-19 cases related to schools are posted on juneauschools.org (click on the green “COVID-19 Cases” block).

Statewide, DHSS reports 830 new people identified with COVID-19 – 821 are residents and nine are nonresidents. The state also reports eight deaths – one occurred in May and the rest in October – bringing the total number of resident deaths to 667:

• a male Anchorage resident in his 70s (occurred in May)
• a male Anchorage resident in his 80s
• a female Anchorage resident in her age 80s
• a female Anchorage resident in her age 60s
• a female Juneau resident in her age 50s (as reported above)
• a male Soldotna resident in his age 50s
• a male Fairbanks resident in his age 70s
• a female Fairbanks resident in her age 70s

Alaska has had 126,250 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 5,153 nonresidents.

Juneau vaccine update:

• 72.7 percent of the total population of Juneau has received at least 1 dose of vaccine and 69 percent has completed the vaccine series.
• 94.3 percent of the population in Juneau age 65+ has received at least one dose of vaccine and 91.1 percent has completed the vaccine series.

For more information, read CBJ’s Emergency Operations Center Reports here.

Emergency Operations Center Incident Commander Robert Barr, Alaska Health and Social Services Public Health Nurse April Rezendes, and City Manager Rorie Watt will provide an update on the status of COVID-19 in Juneau today, October 19 at 4 p.m.

After a brief presentation, a portion of the COVID-19 Community Update will be devoted to questions from the community submitted during the live update and ahead of time. Members of the press also have an opportunity to ask questions.

There are three ways to join the Tuesday, October 19 update:

• Online Zoom: https://juneau.zoom.us/j/98563085159
• Call: 1-253-215-8782 or 1-346-248-7799 with webinar ID 985 6308 5159
• Watch: Facebook Live

The public is encouraged to submit questions during the event by typing the question into the Q&A box on Zoom. All COVID-19 Community Updates are recorded and available on vimeo.com/cbjuneau to watch anytime.

Aside from this update, community members can always find COVID-19 information relevant to Juneau here:

• CBJ’s COVID-19 website
• CBJ’s COVID-19 Dashboard
• CBJ’s Risk Metrics & Mitigation Strategies
• Emergency Operations Center updates
• Email [email protected] or call 586-6000

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, are available at the Juneau Public Health Center every Thursday, noon to 4 pm, for the rest of the month – October 14, October 21, and October 28. Registration is required at juneau.org/vaccine or call 586-6000.

Anyone 12 years of age or older is currently eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccine booster shots are available to individuals who completed their initial Pfizer series at least 6 months ago and are:

• 65 years and older
• Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
• Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions, including asthma, diabetes, substance use disorder, being overweight, being a current or former smoker, etc.
• Age 18+ who work in high-risk settings, like first responders (e.g., healthcare workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff); education staff (e.g., teachers, support staff, daycare workers); food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; public transit workers; grocery store workers
• Age 18+ who live in high-risk settings, like correctional facilities or shelters

For more information, call CBJ’s COVID-19 Hotline at 907-586-6000 or Juneau Public Health at 907-465-3353.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 33 new individuals in the Juneau community – 32 residents and one nonresident – identified with COVID-19 for October 12. According to Juneau Public Health, there are about 165 active cases and three current clusters in Juneau – one associated with a sports team, one associated with a church, and one associated with a childcare. There are currently two people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

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

• one at Floyd Dryden Middle School (no classes quarantined as a result)
• one at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School (no classes quarantined as a result)
• three at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé (no classes quarantined as a result)
• one at Riverbend Elementary (most of one class quarantined as a result)

Please note: As more elementary students recover from COVID-19, they do not have to quarantine if they are identified as a close contact. This is in line with Public Health guidance and applies to individuals who have had COVID-19 within 90 days. That means, each time an elementary classroom has a reported positive case, not all of the students have to stay home. Additionally, in some classrooms, there is less mixing and it is easier to clearly identify close contacts. 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 age range of positive cases is from 1 to 80 years old
• of the active cases, approximately 46 are under age 12; 57 under age 18
• we continue to see entire families test positive in quick succession

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 475 new people identified with COVID-19 – 464 are residents and 11 are nonresidents. The state also reports 16 recent deaths, bringing the total number of resident deaths to 590:

• a male Anchorage resident in his 70s
• a female Anchorage resident in her 50s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 20s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 50s
• a male Kenai resident in his 60s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 60s
• a male Kenai resident in his 50s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 60s
• a female Anchorage resident in her 30s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 50s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 40s
• a male Anchorage resident in his 80s
• a male Fairbanks resident in his 40s
• a female Cordova resident in her 60s
• a male Fairbanks resident in his 60s
• a male Fairbanks resident in his 60s

Alaska has had 119,546 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 5,033 nonresidents.

Juneau vaccine update:

• 72.5 percent of the total population of Juneau has received at least 1 dose of vaccine and 68.2 percent has completed the vaccine series.
• 94.2 percent of the population in Juneau age 65+ has received at least one dose of vaccine and 90.8 percent has completed the vaccine series.

For more information, read CBJ’s Emergency Operations Center Reports here.

As Juneau continues to see high COVID-19 case counts, Alaska State Epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin has this guidance on what people can do today – right now – to slow the spread:

“Getting vaccinated is the best long-term strategy to keep yourself and others safe from COVID-19. However, it takes two weeks after you’ve completed your vaccine series for your body to build up maximal protection. In the meantime, there are additional things you can do today to help, such as wearing a mask in public, social distancing, and avoiding crowds. Regardless of your vaccination status, please use these prevention measures to help us slow the spread.”