FedEx is a carrier for covid vaccines.
Source NBC news.
A plane for FedEx leaves tommorow is destined to Memphis Tennesee. Landing dec1 at 12 am.
Source. https://www.anchorage-airport.com/ted-stevens-flight-departure/FX5986.
A link such as this. Flight may hold the virus they will be tranfered.
These are shipping containers.
It is a trays of vaccine packed in dry ice.
In shipping boxes.
What gives this away as potential carrier for vaccine is that the gate and landing numbers are not availible and that the flight was delayed for 41 MINUTES THAT'S AN ETERNITY TO FEDEX AIR GAME.....
FedEx landed. Last night.
https://www.anchorage-airport.com/ted-stevens-flight-arrival/FX5230
233 am landing delayed 20 min.
No gate information or cargo description.
Alaska will release covid plans after cdc releases emergency approval status. Everything should be in place for a shot in arm an hour after Fauci authorizes the drug.
Alaska is close to seeing the first COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the state following the advancement of two vaccines that Alaska’s chief medical officer, Anne Zink, has called “incredibly promising.”
The earliest the vaccine could arrive in states is Dec. 11, Tessa Walker Linderman, Department of Health and Social Services lead for the Alaska COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force, said Monday during an informational session hosted by the state.
Pfizer first announced their COVID-19 vaccine candidate earlier this month, with Moderna not long after. Just over a year has passed since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in China. Zink has repeatedly said that for all the damage COVID has caused, scientists worldwide have been working together from the beginning to try and find a solution.
Pfizer applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its vaccine candidate last Friday. The FDA plans to assess the application on Dec. 10. Moderna is expected to apply for an EUA in the next few days as well.
Emergency Use Authorizations facilitate the availability and use of medical countermeasures during public health emergencies, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This includes COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccines that are granted EUAs cannot be mandated by private businesses and there is currently no plan by the State of Alaska to mandate that individuals receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Zink said during the informational session Monday.
Health officials have been encouraged by the high efficacy rates of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are both over 90%. Zink, during a work session with Soldotna City Council, said Thursday that even in cases where study subjects contracted COVID despite receiving the vaccine their illnesses were mild and no severe illnesses were reported.
Even when vaccines arrive in states, supply is expected to be extremely limited and will be distributed on a priority basis. It is not yet known which group of individuals will be the first to receive the vaccine in Alaska, but it is expected that health care workers will be high on the list.
Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines require different temperature storage, which may change how the state is able to distribute them. Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at ultracool temperatures, whereas Moderna’s vaccine can be stored at the same temperatures as other vaccines. Because Moderna announced their vaccine just days after Pfizer, Zink on Thursday said they are hopeful the state will be able to acquire a vaccine that can more seamlessly be stored within the state’s existing vaccine infrastructure.
Zink also emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccine will be a two-dose process and that it will be important for people who receive their first dose to follow up for their second. The time between the two doses varies depending on which vaccine is being administered. For the Moderna vaccine, the two doses must be given four weeks apart. For the Pfizer vaccine, the two doses must be given three weeks apart.
Source.https://www.peninsulaclarion.com/news/first-covid-vaccines-could-arrive-in-alaska-next-month/
Intrastate air travel in the Last Frontier is opening back up as Ravn Alaska has officially launched regularly scheduled service to six Alaska communities.
Tickets are available for scheduled flights to and from Anchorage and Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Sand Point, Homer, Kenai and Valdez. Travelers are allowed two free bags up to 50 pounds each, with up to five total for additional cost. Face coverings will be required in the airports and during the entire flight.
Flights on Ravn can be booked by calling or visiting ravnalaska.com.
In addition to individual bookings, Ravn is also offering private charter service
Winter storm warning bethel alaska Yukon delta.
Tuesday into Wednesday.
Accumulating Snow for the Western Interior Tuesday and
Wednesday...
Light snow will become heavier on Tuesday and will continue on and
off in bursts of snow through Wednesday evening. This long
duration snow event will bring widespread 4 to 8 inch snow amounts
to the region with the heaviest snow accumulations from Mcgrath
to Ruby to Shungnak, and lesser amounts to the west.
For the latest forecast please visit weather
At Unalaska’s wastewater treatment plant, about 350,000 gallons of waste and greywater run through the facility every day. That’s about 70 gallons per Unalaskan per day.
“If somebody has COVID-19, they’re shedding this virus in fragments,” said Karie Holtermann, lab manager at the plant. “It’s in their GI tract, they’re shedding it into their feces, into their urine. And so we’re trying to pick that up in our testing here.”
Holtermann has lived in Unalaska for about two years. Her background is in the public health sector as a microbiologist in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and she’s worked as a research technician and engineer in oceanography labs in San Diego, Seattle and on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.
She said sewage testing has been successfully used as a method for early detection of other diseases, such as polio. And at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, she saw a Netherlands-based study that concluded that wastewater serves as an early warning system for viral spread because it can detect virus in people who haven’t been tested or who have mild or no symptoms.
“What they’ve all seen is that wastewater monitoring can predict an outbreak a week before showing up at the clinic,” Holtermann explained. “And once it is shown that COVID-19 is in a community, it’s able to show the beginning, the tapering and the resurgence of an outbreak
How will the vaccine reach Alaskans?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention develops national guidelines for distributing the vaccine, but within the state, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services leads the process, working with local emergency management, community leaders, municipal leaders, tribal leaders and tribal health organizations to ensure efficient distribution of the vaccine.
DHSS officials are planning to distribute initial vaccine shipments of less than 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 doses, preparing for different scenarios of limited shipment, Tessa Walker Linderman, the lead for the Alaska COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force, said during the conference.
To make that distribution happen, the state will rely on the system used for getting the influenza vaccine from the manufacturer to all parts of Alaska using a pass-through method, according to the Alaska Draft COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. That method includes stopping the shipment of the vaccine in Anchorage and transferring it to airlines that reach remote Alaska destinations with the “highest” priority level.
Next week, the Vaccination Task Force will receive a test shipment from the CDC to make sure the distribution system works smoothly, Zink said.
Who in Alaska will receive the vaccine first?
Alaska is preparing for a three-phased approach to vaccine distribution, giving it to critical populations such as essential workers in Phase 1, distributing a larger number of vaccine doses to the remaining critical populations and some general public in Phase 2, and having a sufficient supply to cover the entire population in Phase 3.
While who is considered a critical population is not set yet, health care workers will probably be prioritized, as well as other essential workers, people at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness and people 65 years and older.
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will make a decision today on whom they consider a critical population nationally, while the Alaska Allocation Committee will discuss its guidelines Thursday.
Where will Alaskans receive the vaccine?
During the first phase, the officials plan to have a few designated locations where the prioritized population can go, Linderman said.
“Then we will try to open as many sites as we can for general population to be able to access the vaccine,” she said,
A few potential places where people will be able to get vaccinated include hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, long-term care facilities serving seniors, Alaska Native Medical Centers and homeless shelters. While the officials strongly encourage people to get vaccinated when the option becomes available, there are no plans for a statewide Alaska COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to the Vaccination Plan.
The officials don’t expect the process to be perfect immediately. They want to be transparent as problems appear and be able to catch and fix them in time, Zink said.
“We expect hiccups, we expect problems as this goes forward, just like any large system would, and we expect these to be public,” she said.
Source.http://www.newsminer.com/alerts/covid-19-vaccine-what-it-looks-like-for-alaska/article_f5506d08-3392-11eb-baa8-b36e3840f4df.html
When will the vaccine become available in Alaska?
While officials and experts don’t have concrete estimates on when the general population of Alaskans will be getting the vaccine, they do have an approximate time frame in mind.
“A general time frame is that it will be a lot like the sun,” Zink said. “Coming this winter, we will start getting little bits of vaccine like we get a little bit of sun, and by spring equinox, there will be a noticeable difference, and by summer solstice, it should hopefully be widespread that people are getting it.”
Linderman agreed with Zink, adding that Alaska medical officials expect to receive regular weekly shipments in winter and spring.
While the time frame stays uncertain, the officials seem optimistic and confident that the vaccines will be available soon.
“They are coming, it is coming very soon,” Zink said, “and while it won’t be for everyone, there is a ton of work happening, and it’s incredibly hopeful and incredibly exciting.”
n Maine our lobsters are moving north.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) has received a total of $1,274,908 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct research and modeling on climate, economic, ocean and ecosystem changes in the Gulf of Maine and inform fisheries of shifting weather patterns.
“The Gulf of Maine is currently warming faster than almost any other body of water on Earth,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Research has shown that waters of record high temperature are entering the Gulf, and these changes pose long-term threats to the balance of conditions that have fostered such a historically healthy, productive ocean ecosystem. To help the fishing industry better understand, prepare for, and adapt to these changes, we welcome NOAA’s investment in prioritizing the Gulf of Maine as an area of study.”
GMRI is a nonprofit organization that researches the complex marine ecology in the Gulf of Maine and studies the many challenges of ocean stewardship and economic growth in the region. The institute provides students and teachers with science education resources and engages fishermen in collaborative research.
This funding was awarded through NOAA’s Climate Program Office, as part of NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
Sen Angus King has done alot of work to promote awareness about the industry. As far as markets with covid and lack of Japanese sushi take out alot of fish has been unmarketable here. In Alaska the fish salmon are being over harvested by off shore russian trollers and the over harvesting of eggs for caviar.
Alaska airline's to move covid 19 vaccine.
Meanwhile Seattle-based Alaska Airlines says it is ready to help getting vaccines from Anchorage or Sea-Tac airport to remote locations in Alaska. The airport in Bethel alone serves 70 villages.
“We’re ready to do our part," the airline said in a statement. "Alaska Air Cargo and Alaska Airlines are prepared to transport vaccine shipments when distribution begins. We are in close contact with government officials and logistic providers as plans become finalized. With an extensive route network across North America, we are in a position to support this crucial portion of the medical supply chain. In the state of Alaska, we serve 21 communities with scheduled freight service, providing a key lifeline to ensure sensitive medical items make it to some of the most remote regions in our country.”
Source.https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-vaccine-distribution-logistics-washington-national-guard-alaska-airlines/281-37e94b20-d7c7-45dc-a154-6f6a787ad5fb
. Beginning 11/21, the following rules apply when traveling (or returning) to communities off the Road System or Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS):
“Road System” is defined as any community connected by a road to the Seward, Parks, Klondike, Richardson, Sterling, Glenn, Haines, or Top of the World Highways.
Carmichael signed the plea agreement Nov. 3., according to court records. His Anchorage-based attorney Allen Dayan, declined comment on Monday.
The former principal of Gladys Jung Elementary School in Bethel will plead guilty to knowingly attempting to persuade, induce, entice or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity, the agreement said.
A federal grand jury indicted Carmichael on three other charges including a second count of attempted coercion of a minor, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
Those three charges will be dropped in the plea deal.
Bethel Native Corporation’s shareholders will get a slightly higher dividend this year: 7 cents more per share than last year. That’s a total of $408 for 100 shares.
BNC’s Settlement Trust, set up two years ago, is charged with distributing dividends with 20% of the village corporation’s averaged revenue during the past five years. Since it was established, the trust has paid shareholders a total of over $2 million. That’s compared with a total dividend distribution of $11 million from the corporation during prior years. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act requires that resource revenues from the regional corporations be shared with the other Native corporations.
Tribal elder dies with covid.
Alaska Native leader Trefon Angasan Jr. died Sunday from complications due to COVID-19. He was 73 years old.
Angasan was the chairman of the Alaska Peninsula Corporation. He was also a founding member, and he served on the board for more than 42 years. He will be remembered as a generous person who sought to help others in need.
Angasan was Alutiiq. He was born in Savonoski and grew up in South Naknek.
Angasan is renowned for his leadership roles in the state and in Bristol Bay. He was the Vice President of Shareholder Relations at the Bristol Bay Native Corporation for three decades from 1975 to 2005. He also held leadership roles at the Bristol Bay Native Association.
Angasan also served with the Alaska Board of Fish, Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Native Justice Center.
Angasan was an expert on Alaska Native policy, and was considered an “encyclopedic resource” on the Alaska Natives Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interests of Lands Conservation Act.
The CDC told the State of Alaska to expect weekly shipments throughout the winter and spring, Walker-Linderman said. Other pending vaccines receiving Emergency Use Approval will result in more vaccines being available.
The state Vaccine Task Force is working with communities and businesses to determine distribution sites. Some communities may take a single-location approach, much like a “flu shot fair,” in which individuals come to one site. Pharmacies and other vaccine providers like primary care physicians are also involved in the process
Already blue, and fighting to breathe,” Xavier-Fancyboy said.
A former health aide, she said that her brother’s oxygen levels were at 38% when he arrived at the health clinic, which is less than half of what a healthy person’s should be. He was immediately hooked up to two oxygen concentrators and a medevac was activated, but the plane never came. His sister said that the weather conditions never gave him a chance to get to a hospital.
“Windy, rainy, fog,” Xavier-Fancyboy said. “They even called the military to try to pick him up in a Black Hawk, but the weather wasn’t cooperating even for the military.”
On Nov. 25, two days after he entered the clinic, Joe Xavier took in his last difficult breaths. By his side was his mother, Thecla Xavier.
“We told him that we love him,” said the elder Xavier. “Rest in peace, and to pray for us.”
....Could not be reach to help.....
There is a large outbreak of COVID-19 at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel. As of Dec. 3, there are 46 inmates with active cases of COVID-19 at the Bethel jail. Since the pandemic began, a total of 65 inmates and nine staff members have tested positive for the virus.
Alaska Department of Corrections Spokesperson Sarah Gallagher said that inmates that test positive for COVID-19 have been placed in a separate cohort together. She said this is due to a limited number of individual cells. They are monitored daily for symptoms, and are receiving medical care when necessary.
Gallagher said that the remaining inmates in affected parts of the facility are being tested every three days. She said that this testing schedule would continue until no new positive cases were identified for 14 days.
Staff are advised to get tested if they are a close contact of an individual that has tested positive for COVID-19. Gallagher said that the staff members are required to either receive a negative test result or quarantine for 14 days before returning to work. Employees also have their temperatures checked before every shift.
There are currently 207 inmates at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center. The maximum capacity of the jail is 232 inmates
Bethel’s Winter House is hard pressed now, but the city’s homeless shelter is looking forward to opening its new facility the day after Christmas.
The shelter’s biggest challenge is dealing with the pandemic. Board member Adam London reported that about a quarter of their guests have recovered from COVID-19, but one frequent resident has died from the disease.
London said that the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation conducts rapid tests at the shelter weekly, and takes care of the homeless who test positive at the Qavartarvik Hostel near the Bethel hospital.
“It’s actually a pretty nice deal because they house them, feed them, and take care of them,” said London.
The people identified as close contacts are also quarantined by YKHC. London said that some of the homeless are also getting tested at the regular testing station in Bethel, and that can create a problem when they test positive.
“When that happens, there’s a breakdown of communication,” says London. “It’s really up to the individual to say whether or not they‘ve been in the shelter, and we’ve found that not all of them are self-reporting.”
On Nov. 29, tests at the shelter revealed three more people with COVID-19. Winter House doesn’t have good numbers on the total number of homeless who have tested positive, but London said that he and the shelter manager think that about 20 of their regular guests have gotten COVID-19. That’s compared with a nightly count at the shelter that fluctuates between 20 and 50 for meals, and a lower number spending the night.
Even when people test positive at Bethel’s homeless shelter, London said that the information provided on who they have been in close contact with is often incomplete.
KWETHLUK, Alaska - When the Japanese raided and occupied parts of Alaska during World War II, the Army called on native Alaskans to defend the northern territory.
Given no pay, more than 6,300 Alaskans - aged from just 12 to 80 years old - signed on to be sentries for the newly created Alaska Territorial Guard.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Sam Jackson, who still lives in Kwethluk, a small village in southwestern Alaska, was one of them. Now 93, the veteran recalled when Maj. Marvin Marston, an Army officer who formed the first units of the ATG reserve component, asked him and others to join the cause.
"They called us the ears for the Army and eyes for the Army," said Jackson, who served in the Alaska National Guard after the territorial guard disbanded in 1947.
When Japanese forces invaded some of the Aleutian Islands in June 1942, Marston was tasked to travel to Alaska and recruit members for the new Army mission.
Marston trekked across the tundra, often by dog sled in the winter, to spread the word and round up troops for the Alaska Territorial Guard, who were known as Eskimo Scouts.
Once enlisted, the Alaskan natives trained on Army tactics so they could defend the territory from an attack, if needed. They even made decoys using barrels and logs to resemble cannons to Japanese aircraft flying overhead.
At night, a blackout was practiced throughout the villages to deter an enemy invasion. As a young man, Jackson said he helped keep the windows of buildings covered so no light could be seen from the outside.
"They told us to follow your training and it will save your life," Jackson said of his Army instructors, who supplied the scouts with a rifle, uniform, snowshoes and other gear."That's how we trained."
Established in 1995,
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