Juneau’s 14-day COVID-19 recap: Aug. 2 – Aug. 15

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.

August 17th, 2021|

CBJ reports 58 new COVID-19 cases & one death for Aug. 14-16

The City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center reports 58 new individuals – 56 residents and 2 nonresidents – identified with COVID-19 for August 14 through August 16. CBJ also reports one new death in Juneau. The individual – a female Juneau resident in her eighties – died at Bartlett Regional Hospital Sunday evening, August 15, due to COVID-19. CBJ extends condolences to family members and friends of this individual.

Juneau has had seven COVID-19 deaths total since the start of the pandemic, two of which occurred outside of Alaska. CBJ is reporting this new death based on hospital reporting ahead of it being posted on the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services dashboard.

Of the 56 new resident cases, Public Health attributes 22 to secondary transmission, two to community spread, and the rest are under investigation. One of the resident cases is currently isolating outside of Juneau. The cluster associated with an out-of-town youth sports event is now at 22 cases – seven are active, 15 are recovered.

Cumulatively, Juneau has had 1,788 residents test positive for COVID-19 and 217 nonresidents. There are 131 active cases and 1,867 individuals have recovered. All individuals with active cases of COVID-19 are in isolation. There are currently two people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 1,063 new people identified with COVID-19 in the past three days – 1,001 are residents and 62 are nonresidents. Alaska has had 77,343 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,542 nonresidents.

August 16th, 2021|

At Bartlett Regional Hospital, patient safety is the highest priority

An ongoing pandemic doesn’t detract from Bartlett Regional Hospital’s highest priority: the wellbeing and safety of its patients. BRH takes the most protective possible measures to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. All patients, visitors, and staff must wear masks covering their nose and mouth, and use hand sanitizer placed at entrance screening areas, along with temperature monitoring and a simple questionnaire assessment. Whether you’re coming in for an emergency or a scheduled visit, these time-tested and proven methods for infectious disease prevention are in place to keep you and BRH staff safe.

BRH follows CDC guidelines and are intentional in its policies to proactively limit and reduce the spread of the virus. Systems are in place to monitor and assess BRH employees and anyone that visits its campus. “We take infection prevention very seriously, and we adhere to policies that helped us maintain a safe environment throughout the pandemic,” BRH Infection Preventionist Charlee Gribbon said.

Nearly 90 percent of BRH staff are vaccinated against COVID-19, and front line health care staff are tested regularly to be proactive and protect patients.

“Due to the Delta variant, we are aggressively testing our staff and having them stay home and test for ANY symptoms that could indicate a COVID-19 infection,” said Gribbon. “A proactive testing regimen combined with good infection control practices – such as hand hygiene, wearing a mask, distancing, and keeping our surfaces clean – provide the foundation for patient safety.”

BRH thanks the community for wearing a mask in public, washing your hands, and getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Keep up with the latest COVID-19 statistics and information on the CBJ COVID-19 Dashboard. Learn how and where to get your free vaccine here.

August 16th, 2021|

Dr. Anne Zink will be at Tuesday’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 at Tuesday’s COVID-19 Community Update at 4 p.m. They will be joining members of the City and Borough of Juneau’s Emergency Operations Center. The state team will give a short presentation and be available to answer questions from the community submitted during the live update or ahead of time.

There are three ways to join the Tuesday, August 17 update:

The public is encouraged to submit questions during the event by typing the question into the Q&A box on Zoom (questions will not be taken through Facebook). 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:

August 16th, 2021|

CBJ reports 15 new COVID-19 cases in Juneau for Aug. 13

The City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center reports 15 new residents identified with COVID-19 in Juneau for August 13. Public Health attributes three to secondary transmission, two to community spread, and 10 are under investigation. The cluster associated with an out-of-town youth sports event is now at 20 cases – nine are active, 11 are recovered.

Cumulatively, Juneau has had 1,732 residents test positive for COVID-19 and 215 nonresidents. There are 108 active cases and 1,833 individuals have recovered. All individuals with active cases of COVID-19 are in isolation. There are currently six people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Due to the volume of positive cases in Juneau, if you’ve received a positive COVID-19 test result and haven’t heard from Public Health, please contact Public Health at 465-3353.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 338 new people identified with COVID-19 – 313 are residents and 25 are nonresidents. Alaska has had 76,343 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 3,480 nonresidents.

August 13th, 2021|
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