Health

YKHC expects to have the shots available starting Sept. 13. They're designed to fight against recent COVID-19 variants.

The vaccine will become available likely by mid-September. The CDC has confirmed only three cases of monkeypox in Alaska so far.

Sophie, Melissa, and Brianna Engebreth died two weeks ago. Their Russian Orthodox funeral was held Aug. 24 in the Bethel Regional High School gym.

Vaccine rollout in Bethel begins as children make up the largest number of new COVID-19 infections for the fifth week in a row. Last week, children aged 0 to 9 accounted for more than 20% of the region’s new cases.

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.