More than 50 percent of eligible Delta population vaccinated

by YKHC Staff

Reaching a vaccination milestone this week (March 12th, 2021), the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) announced Friday more than 50 percent of eligible YK Delta residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We are grateful that more than half of the eligible population made the choice to receive this life-saving vaccine. That makes our communities safer and stronger,” said Infection Control Director Dr. Elizabeth Bates. “However, YKHC would like to see 100 percent of eligible residents receive the vaccine. We still have a long way to go to get there.”

“With this week’s rise in COVID-19 case rates and test positivity, we ask vaccinated individuals to become vaccine ambassadors to encourage their friends and family members to get vaccinated,” said YKHC president and CEO Dan Winkelman. “Higher vaccination rates will enable our region to reduce future outbreaks and keep our children at school where they learn best.”

YKHC has offered vaccinations in all villages served by YKHC and continues to do so weekly.

“The efforts of YKHC staff and community members across the region have been extraordinary,” Winkelman said. “Getting the vaccine to more than half the eligible population would not have been possible without the hard work of our Health Aides, providers, COVID-19 response team, vaccination task force and frontline staff.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that people are considered fully protected two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, and that all available vaccines are highly effective and monitored for safety.

All YK Delta residents 16 years and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, no vaccines are approved for children under 16 years old.

To schedule a vaccine appointment, YK Delta residents should call 800-478-6599 or visit https://tinyurl.com/y7reeyst.