COVID-19

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.

Dr. Ellen Hodges and Brian Lefferts discuss the vaccine rollout for children ages 6 months to 4 years old, and talk about new COVID-19 treatments available to Y-K Delta residents.

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.

"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.

Dr. Ellen Hodges and Brian Lefferts discuss the BA-2 variant, and the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women.

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

Starting Monday, April 18, only Rapid Binax COVID-19 tests will be available on the first floor every weekday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PCR tests will be available only by appointment between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays.

Since April 6, 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was identified in-region, there have been more than 15,000 cases reported. According to YKHC, the population of people served in-region is about 29,000.

YKHC's Dr. Ellen Hodges and Public Health Director Brian Lefferts discuss what's changed, what we've learned about the virus, and the state of the COVID-19 pandemic today.

“We're still in the more than 50 cases in the previous seven days. That automatically puts us in the medium-risk level,” explained YKHC Chief of Staff Dr. Ellen Hodges. “There is no low risk level for if you have 50 or more cases in our region."