February 23, 2021 ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) will be administering federal funding to local communities statewide to assist with COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration. The funding includes a focus on health equity to implement locally driven strategies. The initial round of funding, which totals $37.5 million, will be […]
In a development that critics say provides additional evidence of former President Donald Trump’s incompetence and malfeasance, newly sworn-in President Joe Biden learned soon after Wednesday’s inauguration that his administration will have to develop a coronavirus vaccine distribution strategy from “square one” because the previous administration departed without a federal inoculation plan in place. [pullquote]”What […]
On July 16, Alaska became part of the national measles epidemic when measles was diagnosed in an unvaccinated Kenai Peninsula teenager who acquired the illness while traveling in the Lower 48. Most of us today haven’t experienced measles firsthand and some wonder, “What’s the big deal?” Some people may have forgotten how serious measles […]
On June 9, a measles case was confirmed in Fairbanks. Alaska health officials believe there is potential for wider community exposure, putting non-immune persons at risk for infection. An adult with recent travel to central Asia developed a rash several days after arriving in Fairbanks, Alaska on May 31. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for […]