Tribal Emergency Operations Center: 12.16.20 Update on COVID-19

Providing current news on the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) to protect the safety and well-being of Tlingit & Haida's citizens, clients, employees and communities.

CONTACT:

Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC)

907.463.7368 ∙ communications@ccthita-nsn.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 16, 2020

Tlingit & Haida is committed to providing current information on the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to ensure all tribal citizens remain informed and have the resources needed to stay safe. Below is a brief update from Tlingit & Haida’s Tribal Emergency Operations Center.

Note: Due to the increase in cases statewide, certain areas of the State of Alaska's data entry are lagging far behind real-time. As a result, they have removed the active and recovered case counts from the data hub to prevent inaccurate or outdated information from being reported.

The total number of cumulative positive COVID-19 cases in Alaska as of yesterday is 42,473, including 604 new resident cases and 12 new non-resident cases reported. Of these cases, 37,789 are under investigation, 606 individuals had a recent history of travel and 4,078 were close contact, community or unknown. There has been a total of 921 hospitalizations and 181 deaths. To view Southeast Alaska cases, case counts by high tribal citizen populations, and U.S. breakdowns, see below.

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever with symptoms, such as a cough or difficulty breathing, contact your local healthcare provider for medical advice.

*The Alaska COVID-19 data is derived from the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub developed by the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Alaska resident cases are reported by place of resident, and includes Alaskan residents diagnosed and isolated out-of-state. Non-resident cases are reported by place of diagnosis. Communities with fewer than 1,000 residents are combined at the borough/census area level to protect patient privacy. Counts by residency status and place are subject to change as additional information is collected during case investigations. Source: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

SOUTHEAST ALASKA TOTAL CASES

Southeast Alaska Total Cases by Community:

There are 1,647 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Alaska including 3 new cases reported in Sitka. Of these cases, 50 have been hospitalized and 8 deaths have been recorded.

Haines Borough: 20
Juneau City & Borough: 972
Ketchikan Gateway Borough: 225
Petersburg Borough: 28
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: 65
Craig: 6
Metlakatla: 12
Other: 47
Sitka City & Borough: 247
Skagway: 15
Wrangell City & Borough: 23
Yakutat-Hoonah-Angoon: 52

CASE COUNTS BY HIGH TRIBAL CITIZEN POPULATIONS

California*:

Confirmed Cases: 1,666,630
Deaths: 21,681

*Reported by the Los Angeles Times as of

2:25 PM (PST) on December 16, 2020.

Washington*:

Confirmed Cases: 205,069
Deaths: 2,953

*Reported by Washington State Department of Health as of 11:59 PM (PST) on December 14, 2020.

UNITED STATES CASE COUNT UPDATE

United States COVID-19 Cases:

Total Confirmed: 16,908,307*
Total Recovered: Data Unavailable At Time Of Posting*
Total Deaths: 306,671*
Jurisdictions reporting cases: 55 (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)

*United States COVID-19 data is derived from an interactive dashboard developed by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University that tracks the COVID-19 spread in

real-time. Data was pulled at 1:27 PM AKDT on December 16, 2020.

RESOURCE HIGHLIGHT

How To Wash Your Hands

Don't forget, the No. 1 tip for preventing the spread of viruses is washing your hands!

Proper handwashing not only reduces the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), it’s common sense and it works. Washing your hands throughout the day is important, but it must be done properly for 20 seconds with soap and water. If soap and water are not readily available, the next best option is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

RECENT NEWS & ALERTS

‘The Beginning of the End of the Pandemic’: Juneau’s COVID-19 Vaccine Has Arrived — A few members of Bartlett Regional Hospital’s vaccine distribution team greeted the plane this afternoon carrying Juneau’s first 975 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. (KTOO)
Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 3 Deaths and 284 New Cases Reported on Tuesday — Alaska reported 284 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and three new deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services. (Anchorage Daily News)
First Alaskans Receive COVID-19 Vaccine; Adverse Reaction Reported in Health Care Worker in Juneau — Hospital-based frontline health care workers were the Alaskans to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine yesterday. Vaccination clinics began in some communities on Tuesday and are continuing today. (Alaska Department of Health and Social Services)
Congress Closes in on a $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Deal as Americans Await Aid — Congressional leaders closed in on a $900 billion coronavirus relief deal Wednesday as millions of struggling Americans wait for help. (CNBC)
A Second Vaccine Could Soon Get the Green Light While Officials Issue Warning for the Holidays — Help is on the way. But for many Americans, it may not be soon enough. More Americans received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, and federal health officials could authorize a second Coronavirus vaccine in the next few days. (CNN Health)
California May Consider 'Historical Injustice' When Allocating COVID-19 Vaccine — When Virginia Hedrick first heard about the coronavirus circulating on cruise ships off the coast of California back in March, it made her think back to some of the first ships of European settlers that arrived on American shores centuries ago, also teeming with disease. (NPR)

COVID-19 RESOURCES

It is imperative that our tribal citizens continue to hunker down and shelter in place, follow federal, state, tribal and local health mandates, and stay informed on the COVID-19 pandemic to keep ourselves and our families safe.

Tlingit & Haida's Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC)

The Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC) was created to enable Tlingit & Haida to provide timely, integrated, and coordinated responses to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that addresses the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The activation of the TEOC is not due to any identified cases within the Tribe. All actions are aimed at protecting the safety and well-being of Tlingit & Haida’s citizens, clients, employees and communities.