Alaskans aged 65 and over will be the next group eligible for the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, state health officials announced on Thursday.
Since the majority of elderly people who want vaccines can have access to them, the next ones will be prisoners, prison guards and homeless shelter residents, as well as “essential frontline workers” aged 50 or over – including teachers , emergency crews and seafood industry workers whose work is carried out on site and in close proximity to the public or co-workers.
After that, according to a list released on Thursday by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the next eligible group will be Alaska between 55 and 64 years old, those who live in rural communities where there is limited access to running water. and sanitation facilities and essential frontline workers with public jobs, aged between 16 and 50 and two or more high-risk health conditions.
A fourth phase will include people aged 50 and over who have two or more high-risk health conditions and all other essential frontline workers serving the public between the ages of 16 and 50.
[Read the full “Phase 1B” guidelines here.]
The state’s decision to prioritize the elderly for vaccines before much non-medical care Frontline workers place Alaska in a small group of states that differ from the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which place essential frontline workers in the same group as those aged 75 or older, and before 65 years or older.
Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s medical director, said on Thursday that Alaskan authorities made this prioritization decision because most of the state’s oldest residents are cared for at home, rather than nursing homes or nursing homes. , which means that while other states have already vaccinated many in this group, Alaska has not.
“This was an attempt to try to reach this high-risk group in general,” she said.
The elderly also account for the vast majority of deaths and hospitalizations related to the virus in the state, she said.
It was not immediately clear when the next phase of immunizations will begin. Zink did not immediately announce a schedule, but said the elderly are likely to start receiving vaccines in late January or early February.
There are about 90,000 Alaskans over 65, said Zink – a relatively large group that is likely to take at least the entire month of February to pass. However, many elderly people in long-term care facilities have already been vaccinated.
And many tribal health organizations have also started vaccinating their elderly: the state has no say in the vaccine allocated by the Indian Health Service, so these employees can act more quickly and prioritize differently.
The state’s current plan is to work with the first group (the elderly) as quickly as possible and then go through the next levels one by one, Zink said.
She said that this does not mean that everyone aged 65 and over needs to be vaccinated before the next group starts.
“As soon as level one starts not fulfilling commitments and slows down, level two will open,” she said.
The same process will go on for the additional layers that make up Phase 1B, she said.
She said it was difficult to estimate how long it would take to get through this phase, but it would probably be “a few months”.
“Phase 1B is decently large,” said Zink. “It will take a while.”
She added that the current plan could change as needed. The state advisory committee will meet again next month to determine who will be eligible for the vaccine the next, including essential workers who do not work closely with each other or the public.
The first groups in Alaska to become eligible for the vaccine in December were top health care professionals based in hospitals, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, emergency personnel, community health workers and people who currently have vaccines eligible to receive it.
As of January 4, another layer of people in the state’s first phase will begin receiving vaccines. This group includes people who work in healthcare environments who are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19, are considered essential to the healthcare system, and perform regular work that cannot be postponed or done remotely.
Alaska received more than 60,000 doses in December. Authorities said this week that they expect another 52,900 next month. So far, 13,772 people have been immunized – less than a quarter of the state’s initial quota.
When asked why it took so long to get the vaccine to Alaska, Zink said it was a question of logistics: strict temperature restrictions for vaccines, not knowing what the state’s numbers would be or what day the shipments would be arriving until the last minute, and having to build a response very quickly.
“It is taking longer than I expected or expected,” she said. “Our team is working hard to overcome (these challenges).”
Daily News reporter Zaz Hollander contributed.
[Read the state’s latest allocation plan below:]