Health

In Bethel, residents are encouraged to call the COVID-19 hotline at 907-543-6949 to schedule an appointment at the hospital. In villages, parents should call 907-543-6420 for information on when vaccines will arrive in their village.

In a statement, the health corporation said that it has ordered the vaccinations for this age group and expects to begin administering them on July 6, if the doses arrive as scheduled.

The Y-K Delta is still reporting COVID-19 cases at a rate significantly higher than both the state and national case rate. The regional case rate is two times higher than the nation’s and 1.75 times higher than the state's.

Out of the 46 communities that give YKHC permission to report their cases, only 16 reported more than one new COVID-19 case over the past seven days. Of those 16 communities, 10 are experiencing widespread community transmission.

According to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, more than 400 infants in the region receive baby formula through the state public health program WIC.

The FDA authorized booster shots for five-to-11-year-olds last week. The expansion makes children in this age group eligible for a third Pfizer-BioNTech shot five months after receiving their first two shots.

"Getting vaccinated while you're pregnant or breastfeeding really offers good protection to those babies and prevents those respiratory infections that we know are so critical to avoid in that first year of life," said Dr. Ellen Hodges.

There aren’t enough public health care workers in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Organizations large and small are struggling to hire providers.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation is dispatching health teams to multiple villages in the Y-K Delta this month to test school-age kids for tuberculosis. Case counts are trending above average this year.

On April 22, YKHC reported that Alakanuk, Bethel, Emmonak, Grayling, Kwigillingok, Nightmute, Nunapitchuk, Toksook Bay, and Tuntutuliak are experiencing widespread community transmission.