Alaska’s teachers can sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations starting at noon today (Thursday).
The state is opening to a much broader group of Alaskans today as more vaccine is being allotted to the state. And the Interior’s Native health clinic is making appointment for clients of all ages.
We are now in Phase 1B Tier 2 – that’s Alaskans with underlying health conditions who are as young as 50, along with front-line workers 50 and above who must work within 6 feet of others,
workers in congregate settings such as shelters, and pandemic response workers of any age. And, says Dr. Tessa Linderman, of the Alaska Vaccination Task Force, Alaska’s educators of all ages. The State of Alaska’s allocation guidelines that detail this eligibility criteria can be found on the vaccine eligibility webpage.
“Education staff, including child care, pre-K through 12th grade, indigenous language and culture bearers.”
Alaskans in the previous groups can still get vaccinated – those are healthcare workers and people older than 65. Linderman says about half of Alaska’s seniors have had two doses of vaccine, and 80 percent of those living in long-term care facilities.
“?Our seniors are definitely still eligible to make appointments, but we are announcing that Phase 1B Ttier 2 will be open for scheduling appointments February 11.”
The state originally said only teachers 50 and older would be in this tier, but changed that guidance in its announcement Wednesday, saying all teachers could get the shots. Linderman says a couple of factors went into that decision.
“We have been watching the appointments that are available and how quickly they have or have not been filling up, and then also, recognize that we are getting more vaccine in the state, and we are ready to move forward but at the same time, we don’t necessarily have enough vaccine for everyone in this group. It is a large group.”
There have been 114,117 Alaskans, that is one out of every five adults in the state who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard. Counting children, that’s more than 15% of the state’s population and currently the highest rate of any state in the country.
Some of that success is due to Alaska’s high military and Native populations, which each get a additional allocation of vaccine from the federal government. The military won’t disclose how many soldiers, airmen or veterans have been vaccinated so far in Alaska, nor how much vaccine they have available – due to readiness concerns.
But Tribal health providers have been able distribute their allotment widely. In the Interior, that success means Tanana Chiefs Conference can open its Fairbanks clinic to clients of all ages.
Dr. Alisa Alexander of says TCC was pacing with the State of Alaska’s vaccine eligibility tiers in the 42 villages in the Interior.
“We did our first couple of villages following the state guidelines, I think at that time we did Frontline workers, healthcare workers and 75 and above. But, we are chartering planes out to every village every time we want to do a vaccine distribution, so we really quickly pivoted to, let’s just vaccinate as many people as we can.”
Alexander says teams of health aides and pharmacists have some inspiring stories. Even as they had to overcome the persnickity nature of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which need to be thawed from super sub-zero temperatures, they are vaccinating between 80 to 100 village residents each day, both Native and non-Native.
“Last night, we had a team out in one of our communities and when they were due to fly home, a plane broke down. So, they had to send another plane out, to get them, and that plane broke down, and then they sent a third plane out. So, I think they came home last night at like 9 o’clock or later. And then got on the plane again this morning, to head out to other villages! We tried to get them the day off and they refused.”
She says TCC has given out 6,000 doses so far. The last Yukon River community will be visited on Friday.
“I talked to a woman who had to drive her dogs sled 10 miles into the village, so that she could get the vaccine. So she was balancing the 50 below, and then we were trying to plan with her on that.”
As the successful village distribution continues, TCC wants to bring Fairbanks client numbers up. The Chief Andrew Isaac Health Clinic is now open for vaccination appointments to all TCC clients 16 and older, and will expand as possible to non-clients in those same households.