In the COVID case count, Wrangell has experienced a total of 18 positive COVID-19 cases with two cases currently active in the community and those patients is in isolation. The state of Alaska has had 6,160 positive cases to-date including 514 more cases this week. 225 patients in Alaska have been hospitalized to-date with 14 new hospitalizations this week. There have been 39 COVID-19 deaths in Alaska. Two of those deaths occurred over the last week. More information is available at covid19.alaska.gov.
Adult and child size masks are available at the library, call 874-3535. The Wrangell Fire Hall also has masks, they can be reached at 874-3223. Local businesses are also selling masks in a variety of sizes.
Businesses and individuals can also pick up hand sanitizer at City Hall. Just show up with your empty bottle! (Envirotex Backstop 70% Ethanol)
Free community testing is still going on at the SEARHC clinic on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm free for anyone who does not have symptoms. You can get as many tests as you want. The turn around time for results is now about 3 days and it is great to know that more people in Wrangell are taking advantage of these free tests. Wrangell hit a record high of 85 people tested last weekend!
Applications are due by September 15 for the Wrangell CARES small business grant program and Wrangell CARES targeted business grant program. Fishermen are eligible to apply under the small business grant. Applications can be found on the wrangellcovid19.org website.
COVID has affected census response rates. Please count for Wrangell! Only 40.7% of households have responded so far. A high response rate will help determine funding for our community.
COVID will be with us for some time. The strategy moving forward is to test widely, isolate infected individuals, find their close contacts and get all close contacts into quarantine. You can help by getting tested, develop a family isolation plan, keep your number of close contacts to a small number. This strategy along with keeping hands clean and wearing masks when in public will helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.
We are 6 days away from school reopening. Keep up the good work to keep the spread of COVID-19 out of the community so kids can go back to school, healthcare workers can keep up, and businesses can stay open.
