COVID-19 cases in Wrangell are surging at their fastest rate of the nearly 2-year-old pandemic, with 67 new infections since Christmas weekend, as of Tuesday evening’s borough report.
Of those, 37 cases were recorded between Friday and Tuesday.
The post-holidays surge is certain to break Wrangell’s single-month record, when the community tallied 66 infections in November.
The borough’s Tuesday COVID update made particular note of New Year’s Eve parties, advising anyone who attended a social gathering and is experiencing any symptoms to contact SEARHC at 907-874-7000 for testing.
Responding to the surge in cases, face masks are again required for individuals to enter borough facilities. In addition, the borough is advising residents to wear a mask “when you are around people outside of your household,” avoid crowded places and gatherings, and keep social circles small.
“Stay at least six feet away from people outside of your household,” the health advisory states.
All of the cases reported since Dec. 30 are Wrangell residents, according to the borough. The 67 cases represent almost one-quarter of all infections reported in town during the pandemic.
Wrangell is not alone in high case counts of the easily transmissible Coronavirus. The state on Monday reported nearly 3,300 new COVID-19 infections in Alaska over the past three days as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant continues to build. The 3,300 cases over the weekend came after state health officials reported 3,640 new infections from Wednesday and Thursday.
Hospitalizations also rose over the weekend.
The statewide case count last week was nearly eight times the daily average of a month ago.
In Wrangell, free at-home COVID-19 tests may still be available at the fire department and people can get tested at the Wrangell Medical Center as well. If someone tests positive with an at-home kit, the borough recommends calling the hospital for further guidance.
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate for five days, the borough stated. After that, people without fever for 24 hours or no longer symptomatic should still wear a mask for five days when around other people.
As of Tuesday, the fire department had just 85 at-home testing kits available, down from as many as 800 last week.
The borough applied for 2,000 kits from the state a couple of weeks ago, but the kits are in short supply and the request was not fully approved. “We're hopeful we see something come our way. The state is expected to get a large shipment,” said Capt. Dorianne Sprehe, of the Wrangell Fire Department. Sprehe is also the manager of the borough’s emergency operations center.
Sprehe said the COVID case count in Wrangell is only a fraction of the borough’s actual cases, as the number doesn’t include people who are sick and don’t get tested. Nor does the official count, as reported to the borough by the state health department, include individuals who take an at-home test and do not report the results or get retested at the hospital.
Individuals are increasingly relying on at-home tests, rather than going to state-contracted testing sites, which state health officials said means there are likely a lot more infections that are not recorded and reported.
The borough is advising individuals who show symptoms or are a close contact of an infected person to call the Wrangell Medical Center at 907-874-7000 to schedule an appointment for a free COVID-19 test.
Free COVID-19 testing is available for individuals without symptoms just outside the entrance to the hospital emergency room from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday — no appointment necessary. People can drive up to the doors and staff will come out.
Hospital staff said the testing trailer in the parking lot is out of commission because it has a propane leak.
The walk-up testing site, however, will close Jan. 31, as the state recently decided to cancel its contract for the services.
SEARHC will still offer scheduled testing by appointment after the state contract lapses. Patients with insurance will be billed. SEARHC will write off the cost for patients who don’t have insurance, but that could change in the future, said Alicia Gillen, executive assistant at SEARHC.
The surge in cases is affecting community services in Wrangell. The parks and recreation department decided to pause many of its offerings this week to guard against further spread of the Coronavirus.
The Senior Center is closed until next Tuesday because one of the employees tested positive for COVID, said site manager Solvay Gillen. Other employees must isolate for five days because they were at risk of exposure. That means no in-person dining this week.
The borough’s face mask requirement, issued Jan. 5, applies at City Hall, the library, Nolan Center and other borough buildings. The order will last for three weeks, at which time borough officials will evaluate whether or not to continue or amend the requirement, or let it expire.
The borough’s last masking order ended Dec. 8, said interim Borough Manager Jeff Good.
Good said he understands that people, including himself, are tired of wearing masks, “but we want to reduce the risk where we can.”
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