Nearly 5,000 people in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and almost a fifth of those people have also received their second dose. That makes more people in the region who have received at least one dose of the vaccine than have tested positive for the virus. Across the region, 4,248 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Jan. 20, according to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.

At the end of 2020, a 36-year-old former tribal police officer died from COVID-19. He was to be buried in Kongiganak, a burial which his family in Akiachak couldn’t attend because of travel restrictions. Here’s a story about how people are finding new ways to say goodbye to their loved ones during the pandemic.

The 32nd Alaska Legislature convened in Juneau on Jan. 19. The Senate organized a Republican majority caucus for the ninth straight year and selected a leader, but the House remains unorganized, without a majority or a Speaker. Democratic Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky represents the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the House. She spoke with KYUK about how the unorganized body can move forward.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation opened eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to the general population in the entire Y-K Delta on Jan. 19. KYUK reporter Greg Kim documented his experience of getting the vaccine, while talking to others who also received it. 

On Saturday, Jan. 19, a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s only source of clean, running water. Cases of bottled water are sitting in Bethel because airport runway closures and thin river ice have delayed delivery.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, everyone in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta aged 16 or older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The expansion makes the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta the first full region in Alaska, and one of the first areas in the nation, where the vaccine will open to the general population.