March 25th: Craig Emergency Meeting, Court Proceedings and Ketchikan Cases up to 9 and More

Craig City Council Emergency Meeting, March 24, 2020

Admin order causes most court proceedings to be put on hold

KTUU

In the order, Chief Justice Joel Bolger called for the suspension of all superior court and district court proceedings until April 3rd, 2020. Additionally the order calls that all trials and civil marriage ceremonies are suspended throughout May 1st, 2020.

Chief Justice Bolger noted that there are a select few exceptions to the order.

"We ended up with a plan to maintain emergency hearings and hearings that involve fundamental constitutional rights but to postpone most other routine hearings," the chief justice said.

There's a number of different exceptions that can be found in the order.

An oversimplified example of how this will work is that people who commit crimes will still be booked, have charging documents filed, and have a bail arraignment set up. However, folks who are looking to do business such as filing for divorce will have to wait until after the order is over.

Ketchikan cases up to 9 

SEARHC Update:

Below is recent data from the ongoing SEARHC COVID-19 response as of March 23:

• There had been approximately 100 COVID-19 tests performed throughout the Consortium. We are testing patients who meet the Centers for Disease Control and Alaska Department of Health and Social Services guidelines for testing. These symptomatic qualifiers and eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 test continue to change. SEARHC leaders remain in continued contact with the aforementioned healthcare organizations and implement the most recent testing guidelines in real time.

• SEARHC had approximately 1,400 COVID-19 specimen collection supplies and 2,065 influenza testing supplies available throughout the Consortium. Those numbers are expected to increase as testing capabilities, including private sources, become more widely available.

• Most SEARHC locations have collected specimen for COVID-19 testing. Two clinic locations have not yet had any patients who met the screening criteria for COVID-19 testing. SEARHC staff continues to provide tests to all patients who meet the minimum symptomatic guidelines and qualifying criteria for potential exposure to the virus.

From Nurse Lynn:

For my Prince of Wales friends. I try not to mix Facebook and my work as a Public Health Nurse, but here I go….. some of what I have to say may be unpopular. I have heard comments from folks who have mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms that they are frustrated because they are not being tested for COVID-19. Collection supplies are very limited. The State of Alaska section of Epidemiology has parameters for healthcare providers on who can be tested through the state lab. You must be ill with symptoms and meet the attached parameters. These parameters can change. Updates can be found on the Alaska COVID-19 website.

Every time someone is tested, healthcare providers need to use full PPE (gown, N-95 mask, eye protection and gloves), specimen swabs and transport medium. These supplies are limited. We do not have the local resources or the state laboratory resources to test everyone. That is why there are strict parameters. I understand that wide-spread specimen collection may be useful in alerting us to community spread, unfortunately this is not an option due to the limited resources.

Remember, 80-85% of individuals who get COVID-19 are going to be mild to moderate cases. If you are a healthy individual without underlying medical conditions and you become ill, stay home, avoid others, and take care of yourself. Drink lots of water, rest, eat healthy foods, take over-the counter fever reducing medications. You do not need to be tested. A positive test is just that and will not change the course of treatment for you. There is no treatment for COVID-19, only supportive care. So, stay home and take care of yourself until symptoms have completely resolved. If your symptoms worsen and you develop shortness of breath, then seek care.

If you are over 60 years of age, have certain chronic medical conditions (heart or lung disease, diabetes, immunocompromised) and have symptoms call your healthcare provider to decide if you need to be seen. If you develop respiratory distress call 9-1-1

Some other Alaskan communities are having drive-thru specimen collection sites. Everyone who drives through these sites has a prescription from their healthcare provider for specimen collection because they meet the testing parameters. Our local providers are discussing the need for this if we start seeing a high number of residents meeting the testing parameters or if we decide this method of testing is the safest for our healthcare workers.

If you are someone who sees your provider for every sniffle, please try to change that practice. Call your provider to discuss your need for services rather than walk-in. And only call 9-1-1 with a true emergency.

Call 2-1-1 with COVID-19 questions. This is a state-wide call line staffed by medical professionals ready to answer your questions.

Take extra special care of yourselves during this stressful time. Get rest, drink water, eat healthy and get out and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air when possible. Sorry for the long post.

Klawock School Notice

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