Manager – Page 17 – City and Borough of Juneau

Update on COVID-19 self-tests & state’s airport testing

Here are some updates on the City and Borough of Juneau’s free COVID-19 self-test distribution and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) COVID-19 airport testing program:

Self-test distribution

CBJ locations offering free COVID-19 self-tests, as well as the Juneau Public Health Center, are either extremely low on supply or currently out of stock. Since December, CBJ has distributed about 12,000 test kits to the general public and about 5,100 to local organizations. The rapid antigen test can be self-administered from home, or wherever, and returns results in 15 minutes.

The tests that have been distributed so far are from DHSS. CBJ has ordered an additional 2,500 self-tests to supplement what the state is providing. CBJ will inform the public once tests are available again at City Hall Cash Office, all Juneau Public Libraries, Juneau Public Health Center, and Juneau Police Department. Thank you for your patience.

State of Alaska’s COVID-19 airport testing program

At this time, the State of Alaska’s COVID-19 molecular testing program at the Juneau International Airport is in place through January 31. This testing site, which is open to the public for travel-related and asymptomatic testing, is operated by Capstone Clinic through a State of Alaska contract. Walk-in testing is available 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. seven days a week. Testing may not be available for flights that are delayed beyond 12:30 a.m. Travelers who come in on a delayed night flight are welcome to go back to the airport the next day. Results are returned within 2-3 days.

New COVID-19 testing site in Juneau

In addition, Capstone Clinic has opened a private testing site (unrelated to the DHSS program) in the shopping center connected to AIH Alaska Industrial Hardware, nearby the Juneau airport. This a drive-up testing site only. Once you arrive, stay in your vehicle, call (temporary number) 907-357-9590 ext. 0044, and someone will come out to administer the test. Drive-up hours for this location are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Capstone will collect insurance information at this testing site. Results are returned within 2-3 days.

Read this for information on other places to get a molecular COVID-19 test in Juneau, including at CBJ’s Drive-Thru testing facility (register online or call CBJ’s COVID-19 Hotline 907-586-6000).

January 4th, 2022|

Juneau’s community risk level elevates to modified High; indoor masking once again required for everyone

The Alaska Department of Health & Social Services today reports 190 new individuals who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 in the Juneau community in the past five days. This number does not include people who’ve tested positive through a rapid self-test. Due to high case count activity and associated high number of close contacts, the City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is elevating the overall community risk to modified Level 3 High. At modified High, masking is required in all indoor public areas regardless of a person’s vaccination status, but all other COVID-19 Community Mitigation Strategies remain at Level 2 Moderate. Through this change, the EOC hopes to keep businesses open, government services running, and the hospital staffed; masking remains an effective tool at limiting the spread of COVID.

This community mitigation measure on masking is effective immediately:

Masks must be worn in all public indoor areas regardless of vaccination status. Masks must be worn in public outdoor areas where 6 feet of distancing cannot be maintained.

All other mitigation measures remain the same. Read CBJ’s COVID-19 Risk Metrics and Mitigation Strategies here for more details.

For more information, contact CBJ Emergency Operations Center Incident Commander and Deputy City Manager Robert Barr at 907-586-5240 or [email protected], or email [email protected].

January 3rd, 2022|

State reports 147 new COVID-19 cases for Juneau over past 7 days

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports 75 new residents and 4 nonresidents in the Juneau community identified with COVID-19 for December 27 and 28. Additionally, 64 new residents and 4 nonresidents were reported on Monday, representing cases reported between December 22 and December 26. These numbers total 147 new cases which represent a significant increase over recent trends. According to Juneau Public Health, there are about 156 active cases.

While genomic sequencing data lags case reports by 2-3 weeks, given nationwide trends, it is reasonable to expect this recent increase is due in part to holiday travel and the spread of the Omicron variant.

There are currently no individuals with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital. To maintain local medical capacity and protect individual and public health, the CBJ EOC urges individuals who are eligible for a vaccine booster dose to seek one at a local pharmacy, the Juneau International Airport, or the Juneau Public Health Center. To make an appointment for a booster, visit https://juneau.org/vaccine or call the CBJ COVID-19 Hotline at 907-586-6000.

Consistent with CDC guidance, the CBJ EOC continues to strongly recommend individuals wear well-fitted masks when in indoor public spaces. Masking for those who are unvaccinated remains required and individual organizations and businesses may require masking regardless of vaccination status.

Additionally, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and are at high risk should consult with their physician about whether monoclonal antibody treatment may be appropriate. Monoclonal antibodies are only effective early in the disease course. For those without a physician, call Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Emergency Department at 907-796-8900.

For more information, contact CBJ’s Emergency Operations Center at [email protected]

December 29th, 2021|

Travelers Returning to Juneau Recommended to Get Tested for COVID-19

Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country and locally, CBJ recommends that travelers get tested for COVID-19 upon their return to Juneau. Free testing is available at the Juneau International Airport and at the Fire Training Center. The majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Testing helps to identify when an individual is COVID-19 positive and contagious even if the individual is asymptomatic or before symptoms appear.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 907-586-6000.

December 28th, 2021|

People of CBJ: Robin Marks

“My family has always worked in labs. There are many lab professionals in the family. My grandfather was a biochemist in organic steroid chemistry. My mother was a chemist and worked in laboratory information services. Growing up, my mom brought home rescue lab rabbits. This was during a time when you needed to make your own lab reagents with rabbit plasma for immunochemistry fertility testing. Their names were Estradiol and Testosterone. I have stitches in my finger from when my rabbits mistook me for a carrot.”

Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist Robin Marks is in charge of Bartlett Regional Hospital’s COVID-19 molecular testing lab. If you get tested at CBJ’s drive-thru testing facility or the Juneau School District, your test gets analyzed there. Since February, when Bartlett was the first hospital in the state to be equipped with a Roche Cobas 6800 Analyzer, the lab has run at least 30,000 COVID-19 tests.

Robin acknowledges the pivotal role COVID-19 testing plays in helping to keep schools and businesses open. Her main motivation for taking on the top job in the BRH molecular lab was her eight-year old daughter. While homeschooling last year, “She said, ‘I’m tired of being at home, so we need a scientist to fix this!’”

December 17th, 2021|