Seven test positive in villages near Dillingham December 31st, 2020 |
Seven people tested positive for COVID-19 in two different villages in the Dillingham area between Dec. 20-23, according to a news release from the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation.
In one community, an individual experiencing symptoms tested positive for the disease. Two of their close contacts tested positive as well. Those cases were travel-related.
Four people in the second community tested positive. They were close contacts of one another. All households are now in quarantine.
BBAHC will receive its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines this week. It plans to distribute them to frontline healthcare workers in accordance with state guidelines. The corporation has not said whether it is administering Moderna s or Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine.
Health care providers optimistic as COVID-19 vaccinations continue January 7th |
There are two ways the vaccines are being distributed throughout the region: by bringing the person to the vaccine; or, by taking the vaccine to the person.
Around Iliamna Lake, it s the former. All the clinic workers in the area are flying to the Nilavena Clinic in Iliamna to receive the vaccine. Nilavena, which is the area s hub clinic, received 100 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine last week and started administering it to employees. Everyone s doing well, everyone s very excited, said Dustin Parker, the manager for the Southcentral Foundation s Iliamna Lake region. All of our employees in the Iliamna Lake region that serve these seven communities have all agreed, voluntarily, to receive the vaccine.
Credit Courtesy of Dustin Parker
Health care providers will begin to contact eligible individuals and schedule appointments for vaccinations today.
People around Alaska age 65 or older can start to receive the first of two vaccine shots as soon as Monday. Health care providers around Bristol Bay will begin to contact eligible individuals and schedule appointments for vaccinations today. People 65 and older make up Phase 1b, Tier 1 of the state s vaccine allocation plan.
The Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation plans to send out teams to villages to administer the vaccine.
“That will include all resources needed for administration as well as any possible severe adverse events, said Bernina Venua, the head of the health corporation’s COVID-19 task force. We know that is a concern of people and we do know that it is rare, however we are planning to be ready for any kind of response.”
Credit Brian Venua/SAFE
In advocacy we take everything [people who come to us] say at its face value, like that’s the truth, Marxmiller said. We’re there to listen to the truth from that person. We’re not there to judge, we’re not trying to figure out the answers here. We’re there to support somebody. If you keep that in mind, like, you’re there to support.
Marxmiller added that one of the best ways to support victims of domestic violence is to remember that the victims are not at fault. I think there’s a lot of discussion about responsibilities of people, and they say, ‘Well this happened to me,’ or ‘This person did that,’ he explained. It’s something we learn as children as well: ‘This person did that, so I did this.’ That doesn’t absolve you of your responsibilities for what you did.