Alaska seeing one of sharpest COVID-19 surges in US
by The Associated Press
FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, file photo, front-line caregivers wait in line to receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. (Loren Holmes/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File)
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s state epidemiologist says Alaska is experiencing “one of the sharpest surges” in COVID-19 in the country.
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Dr. Joe McLaughlin added that it’s not clear when the situation might stabilize. He says a lot will depend on vaccination rates and measures such as masking and distancing.
Health officials says hospitals are stressed, with staffing and capacity issues. The state health department reports 20% of patients hospitalized in Alaska have COVID-19.
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Meanwhile, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau announced Thursday that as a condition of employment, staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 15.
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