People from different backgrounds and industries are working with them as the Alaska Commission prepares to vote for groups to be included in the next round of COVID-19 vaccination this week. Most vulnerable to severe infections From the virus — fighting for the spot.
Nearly 50 people, including teachers, seniors, fisheries workers, pilots, judges, veterinarians and utility plant workers Public hearing It was held on Monday night by the Alaska Vaccine Advisory Board.
The group also received over 300 written public comments.
Teachers, seniors and fisheries workers made up the majority of the comments.
“Your job as a medical professional is to protect those facing the greatest medical danger from COVID,” said Cynthia Pickering Christianson, who identified herself by phone as an Alaskan resident over the age of 65. Said. The oldest resident is the first. “
Then Ole Kristenson spoke and said he agreed with “100 percent.”
“I’m 74 years old and have congestive heart failure and lung cancer,” he said. “I think people in my situation should be right there.”
Nationally, Americans over the age of 65 account for more than 80% of COVID-19 deaths, but only about 16% of the total population.
Vaccination of teachers and other educators will help “close us closer to a functioning society,” said Yukon Kaskok, which currently has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the state. Andrew West, a teacher in the Wim Delta region, said.
The Anchorage School District has done a lot to prepare the school for returning to face-to-face learning next monthAdded, Thomas Ross, Chief Operating Officer of the district. “But there is no substitute for increased immunity and reduced susceptibility to the virus,” he said.
Chris Burrows spoke on behalf of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association. “Our members process seafood in remote coastal communities away from the road system or in coastal communities and the sea linked to them, without the support of critical medical infrastructure,” he said. He urged the Commission to include seafood workers as mandatory workers to be prioritized in the next phase.
Vaccines for the virus are currently in short supply throughout the state and are currently eligible for hospital-based front-line healthcare workers, care facility residents and staff, first aid personnel, community health assistants, and now vaccinations. There are people.
Another from January 4th Tear A percentage of people in the first stages of the state begin vaccination. This group includes people working in the healthcare setting who are at the highest risk of being infected with COVID-19, and perform regular tasks that are considered essential to the healthcare system and cannot be postponed or performed remotely. ..
State health officials said Monday that it would take most of January to be able to move the entire group.
The meeting on Monday was about the next eligible group, Phase 1B. It is owned by the Federal Advisory Board. Said Key workers, people over the age of 65, and people with high-risk medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 infection should be included.
Alaska’s Advisory Board decision may be broadly in line with federal recommendations. But they won’t vote until Tuesday, December 29th. This worker decides which workers should be classified as “required” and whether the group should be further classified into another tier.
Governor Mike Dunleavy has ultimate authority over whether to adopt these recommendations, but so far he has left it to the Advisory Board.
In addition to the Commission’s recommendations, who will be vaccinated in Alaska next depends in part on the amount of vaccine the state allocates in January.
But they don’t know the number until Tuesday, December 29th. Even if a new shipment is scheduled for the first week of January. Therefore, many things are still undecided.
“That’s why I’m not hiding anything from Alaska,” Dr. Ann Zink, the state’s chief health officer, said in a phone call with reporters Monday. “We have these very tight schedules, and then we have to respond as soon as possible to get rid of them.”
In December, Alaska was assigned 62,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to the federal government. This is the per capita quantity, including shipments from Indian Health Services.
By monday Over 12,000 The dose was administered throughout the state.
Phase 1B probably won’t start until February. However, the timeline can be shorter or longer, depending on the amount of vaccine assigned to Alaska.
It will take months before the vaccine becomes widely available to the general public.
Zink said on Monday that he was grateful to everyone who provided feedback to the allocation committee.
“We will do anything to make the vaccine available to those who want it now,” she added. “You have a huge reason and story. We are pleased that humans can be vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
