SEARHC calls on younger people to get vaccine shot

SEARHC had more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine than people registered to get the shot as of Tuesday, and is looking for younger people to sign up.

While the state just last week dropped its restrictions on who could receive a vaccination, opening the program to anyone 16 and older, SEARHC, which serves Wrangell and almost 20 other Southeast communities, has offered the shots to the general public the past several weeks.

"Through efficient processes and steady allotments of vaccines, SEARHC staff quickly worked through sequencing groups to reach the general public in mid-February," said Dr. Elliot Bruhl, chief medical officer, based in Sitka.

"To reach our goal of at least 70% fully vaccinated in Southeast, we're going to need the younger generations to step up to the plate, including the 16-and-older crowd," Bruhl said in an email statement Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, 977 people in Wrangell had received their first COVID-19 shot. Of these, 782 had received both shots and are fully vaccinated.

Statewide, almost 200,000 Alaskans had received their first shot as of Tuesday's statistics on the state COVID-19 website. More than 35% of the population 16 years old and above had received at least one dose.

Almost 138,000 Alaskans had received both shots.

Alaska was the first state to open up eligibility down to 16 years old, and was leading all other states as of last Friday in percentage of its population to receive both vaccination shots.

SEARHC said anyone in Wrangell can register for their vaccination shot at http://www.covid19.search.org. An email address is required.

Bruhl said SEARHC has always been open for people down to age 16 to get the vaccine. However, for minors under the age of 18, SEARHC staff will reach out for parental or guardian approval before scheduling an appointment.

"Otherwise, the vaccination process remains the same," Bruhl said. "Pfizer vaccines are approved for patients as young as 16, so the calendaring of youth appointments is dependent on the availability of that brand of vaccine in their community. SEARHC is making a concerted effort to deliver Pfizer allotments to communities with a waiting list of registered youth."

Nationwide, more than 72 million people had received at least their first shot as of Tuesday, almost 22% of the population.

Almost 537,000 people have died in the country from COVID-19 as of Tuesday, according to the count kept during the pandemic by Johns Hopkins University and its Coronavirus Resource Center. Almost 30 million cases have been confirmed in the country.