COVID-19 cases in Interior Alaska surged last week and is keeping emergency room physicians and other medical providers busy with the case load. They are drawing a direct relationship between the high case rate and our low vaccination rate.
While the statewide case rate stayed stable last week, the numbers of COVID-19 disease in Fairbanks and North Pole shot up. On Wednesday, 111 cases were reported between the two towns. Outside the Fairbanks North Star Borough, other Interior communities surged as well.
Dr. Mark Simon works in the emergency department at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
I can tell you that everyone who works in the emergency department is saying ‘Wow, there’s a lot of Covid coming in.’ Everyone who is working in the hospital taking care of patients, is saying, ‘Wow, we have a lot of Covid in the hospital right now.’ This is at the level we had at our highest peak in the past.”
With 13 people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, FMH’s Intensive Care Unit is reporting their highest rates of the disease since January.
The area is a long way from 70% herd immunity. The state reports only 33% of eligible folks in the FNSB are fully vaccinated – much less than the rest of the state.
There is pretty much a straight line between low vaccination rates and high disease rates.
“The interior is near the bottom on vaccination rates, and near the top on COVID-19 cases. Communities with the lowest vaccination rate have the highest disease burden of COVID-19.”
Simon says the surge is so bad, doctors are reaching out, and calling contacts to encourage people to get vaccinated, and get their friends to get vaccinated.
“Talk to your family members, talk to your friends, talk to your coworkers, talk to your neighbors. Ask them about vaccination and then share your story of you getting vaccinated.”
The state is trying to recover its tourist, fishing and summer jobs economy, so public health officials want Alaskans to be vaccinated now, before June. Simon says vaccinated workers and customers can help business stay open and the economy recover. But first the community transmission of the disease must be stopped.
“We know that the more cases of COVID-19, you have, the more people will have to stay in the hospital, the more people will get long Covid – debilitating symptoms for weeks and months, the more people die.”
Last month, Alaska became the first state to open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older. The Unified Command for Interior Alaska is holding weekly free vaccination clinics on Tuesdays at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, the next one is tomorrow from 9a.m. to 4 p.m. with slots for walk-in appointments.
There is also a weekly community question and answer session every Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
You can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.