The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) reports eight new residents in the Juneau community identified with COVID-19 for November 10. According to Juneau Public Health, there are about 83 active cases. Of those, about 25 are age 18 or younger. There are currently five people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Statewide, DHSS reports 508 new people identified with COVID-19 – 501 are residents and seven are nonresidents. The state also reports nine recent deaths bringing the total number of resident deaths to 801:

• Male Fairbanks resident in his 60s
• Male Delta Junction resident in his 60s
• Female Anchorage resident in her 70s
• Male Anchorage resident in his 30s
• Male Wasilla resident in his 50s
• Male Anchorage resident in his 50s
• Male Anchorage resident in his 60s
• Female Wasilla resident in her 60s
• Male Anchorage resident in his 60s

Alaska has had 138,983 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 5,317 nonresidents.

CBJ will not be issuing a COVID-19 case update tomorrow, November 11. The next one will be on Friday, November 12.

The City and Borough of Juneau has started distributing rapid, over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests to local organizations that serve community members who may otherwise struggle to obtain a COVID-19 test. So far, CBJ has received 5,000 tests from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) through a federal allocation. CBJ expects to receive an additional 5,000 in the next 4-6 weeks. Here’s information and guidance from the CDC on self-testing.

These rapid, over-the-counter tests are antigen tests, which – while not as sensitive as PCR tests – are effective at detecting COVID-19 when it becomes transmissible. In addition to being significantly less expensive than processing PCR tests, antigen tests can be performed by individuals at home and results are given, similar to a pregnancy test. Here’s a resource from the CDC for all of the technical details of antigen testing.

Rapid antigen tests return results in about 15 minutes and are effective for use for individuals who are at all symptomatic – even with mild symptoms – or for individuals who have recently been in close contact with someone else who tested positive or was suspected to have COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests generally cannot be used to clear individuals for travel when destinations require travel-based testing; however, they can be used to prevent students from having to quarantine when they are an asymptomatic close contact to someone else who was positive for COVID-19. DHSS has more guidance for rapid antigen at-home COVID-19 tests here, or go to CBJ’s webpage.

Eventually, pending sufficient supply, CBJ intends to make rapid antigen test kits available for free to the community at large. During this initial period of lower supply, CBJ is limiting distribution to organizations that serve people who are less able or less likely to acquire a test through a local health provider, Capstone Clinic at the Juneau airport, or CBJ’s drive-thru testing site. These organizations initially include daycares, senior living facilities, low-income housing facilities, organizations that serve people experiencing disabilities or homelessness, food banks, some employers including restaurant/bar operators, and others. If your organization would like to request a supply of rapid antigen tests during this initial phase of distribution, please email [email protected].

Currently, CBJ is distributing the QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test. Here’s an instructional video of how to use that particular test. Other test types/manufacturers may replace this type in the future.

The Juneau School District also has a supply of rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests. The district uses them as an option for students and staff who choose to follow a testing protocol rather than quarantine when they are exposed in a classroom or identified as a close contact.

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].