Forty percent of eligible Y-K Delta residents have gotten both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and well over half of eligible residents have gotten at least one shot. Still, after a few weeks of dwindling COVID-19 case counts, that number is beginning to rise. Chefornak in particular is seeing a surge in cases, with 32 new cases from March 6 to March 12. Statewide, case counts have also slowly begun ticking up again. Vaccinations in the Y-K Delta are creeping up, but so are COVID-19 case counts.
This week, Alaska health officials said that they found four more cases of the p1 variant circulating in Alaska. Researchers say that it could be twice as contagious as other strains of the disease. Early research suggests that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are only slightly less effective against the new strain. YKHC health officials say that getting as many people vaccinated as possible is the best weapon in the fight against COVID-19.
