The Prysunka family, Dr. Lynn and Mayor Steve, met with KSTK and Wrangell Sentinel reporters on the afternoon of Oct. 20 to talk about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Wrangell has seen a total of 20 cases of the virus since the pandemic began. The most recent case was announced on Sept. 14. All of these cases have recovered, though, and Wrangell has not seen an active case in about a month. However, across the state and the country, cases continue to rise.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported a total of 11,393 Alaska resident cases as of Oct. 20, an increase of 215 just that day. While things may seem to be calming down in Wrangell, the Prysunkas talked about why the public still needs to remain vigilant.
"In Monday's meeting [with the Emergency Operations Center] a lot of red flags came up, regarding where we're heading in the state and states we sort of border with," Steve said. "At that point we decided we wanted to reach out to the media again and have another discussion about mitigation and some of the concerns we're having."
Lynn discussed some details regarding COVID testing, and protocols in place for hospitalization. She said that deciding if a patient with COVID-19 is healthy enough to return home, or if they need hospitalization, depends on their symptoms and pre-existing conditions. Oxygen levels in the blood system are something they look at, she said, but this can be subjective.
"So if your oxygen level in your blood system, without any extra oxygen, is 95 percent or greater, you're considered okay," Lynn said. "The reason it gets kind of gray is some people normally, without COVID because they've got lung disease, have a significantly lower oxygen level. There's a certain amount of clinical judgment that has to play to whether somebody should be hospitalized."
Should a patient need hospitalization, Lynn said that they are flown to Sitka, which is better equipped to handle COVID-19 cases. She also said that the airlift is covered by the patient's insurance, and if it isn't then SEARHC will foot the bill. She said that some of Wrangell's COVID patients were flown to Sitka, but she could not say how many.
Another medical topic of discussion was flu season, which is coming up. Lynn said that it is a good idea for people to get their flu vaccinations this year. COVID-19 and influenza present themselves fairly similarly, she said, so getting a flu shot could help differentiate which disease a patient is dealing with.
"We also don't know what might happen if you got COVID-19 and you got influenza at the same time, how severe that illness might be," she said.
Lynn added that there were several testing options available to the public. SEARHC offers free asymptomatic testing, every weekend, at the AICS clinic. She also said that people who feel they might have symptoms should call the SEARHC COVID-19 hotline at (907) 874-2684.
Steve provided a more municipal point of view on the current situation. He said that there are several concerns, especially about state travel mandates going away while cases are continuing to rise. He said that the city and SEARHC are discussing ways to extend COVID-19 testing at the airport into next year, to help mitigate risks of the virus entering the community. Another concern, he said, is that people are getting tired of wearing masks in public, social distancing, and taking other precautions. These precautions are very important for protecting Wrangell's physical and economic health, he said, and he encouraged people to keep at it.
"The concern for me, as the mayor, is I don't want the assembly to have to put mandates in place that say 'you must' or 'you will," he said. "I don't want to do that, but we have to look at what's going on at the time, and right now we're not there. If we can prevent getting there, that's really what I'd like to do."
Another topic of discussion was the upcoming holiday season. With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming up, many people are wondering if and how friends and family can gather safely. Steve said that, unfortunately, one of the best ways to stay safe from COVID-19 is to have a very limited social circle. This means that holiday celebrations may need to be different for families than in the past.
"I know for our own family, we have asked our son and his girlfriend to stay down in Oregon this year, because the risks of them traveling, and quarantine restrictions, and so on, it's just too high," Steve said. "It's not great for our family, but it's what we think is wise, and certainly what the health officials are recommending."
Lynn added that, if social gatherings are going to take place, it is wise to take precautions. This means wearing face masks, staying six-feet apart, maintaining small social circles, and getting tested.
"We all think we've got a bubble, but our bubbles start to overlap," she said. "So if you've got a bubble, everybody in your bubble is in your bubble, and not in three other bubbles. I think that will help remarkably."
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