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In those communities with high-transmission, YKHC advised schools to use “cohorting,” and keep students at least 3 feet apart. If schools cannot use cohorting, then students should stay at least 6 feet apart. Cohorting is the practice of keeping a small group of students isolated together for the whole school day.
YKHC recommends that sports and extra-curricular activities remain outdoors. That’s unless COVID-19 cases are low enough in a sub-region to be considered “moderate” transmission.
YKHC has defined six sub-regions in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The sub-region around Aniak is the only one where there is “moderate” transmission of COVID-19. The sub-region around Bethel has “substantial” transmission, and the sub-regions around Emmonak, Hooper Bay, St. Mary’s, and Toksook Bay have “high” transmission of COVID-19. The transmission levels are mostly based on how many COVID-19 cases have been detected in the last seven days, and the percentages of COV
After a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s source of drinking water on Jan. 16, 2021, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation got to work. It sent a team to the community to build new water systems.
The team got a water system with basic filtration up and running by mid-February. It was intended to provide water for things like cleaning and laundry. A couple weeks after that, the workers set up a reverse osmosis system, with extra filtration, to provide cleaner water intended for drinking. But up until mid-April, most people in Tuluksak didn’t get to drink the water from this second system.
The reverse osmosis system is located in the school kitchen, but only staff are allowed in. Tuluksak Principal Douglas Bushey said that it’s a health hazard to let community members go in and out. Plus, he wanted to avoid distractions.
Credit National Science Foundation
Four rabies cases have been confirmed in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta recently. Three rabid foxes and one rabid dog were found in Nightmute, Alakanuk, and Bethel. Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Lauri Meythaler-Mullins has been working in all three places to vaccinate pets, and to diagnose and confirm cases. She said that the dog that had rabies was euthanized.
“And there were three other dogs in addition that had been euthanized because they came into contact. They were bit by rabid foxes. All four of these dogs, they were not vaccinated,” said Meythaler-Mullins.
Having a vaccine against rabies can make the difference between life and death for a dog. Meythaler-Mullins said that a vaccinated dog does not have to be euthanized if bitten by a rabid animal. Instead, they are quarantined for 45 days and given another vaccine. An unvaccinated animal is not so fortunate.
Three rabid foxes found in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, officials say rfdtv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rfdtv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit FDA
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has resumed using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted their pause of the vaccine on April 23, determining that the vaccine is effective against COVID-19, and that its benefits outweigh its risks.
On April 12, the two federal agencies recommended health care workers pause injecting the vaccine. At that time, nearly 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered. Six women under the age of 50 who received the vaccine developed a severe blood clot with low platelets; none of those cases occurred in Alaska.