by YKHC Staff
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) published revised recommendations to help communities and individuals continue to take the necessary steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta. The updated guidance is based on new data from the CDC and includes considerations for the unique conditions in our region.
In addition to after-travel and safe social activities recommendations, the revised guidance urges all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in any indoor, public setting in an area of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. YKHC first announced this masking recommendation on July 30.
“In our region and across the country, many individuals have been opting for safe and effective vaccination against COVID-19,” said YKHC Chief of Staff Dr. Ellen Hodges. “And while the vaccines are incredibly valuable in protecting people from hospitalization or death, based on wide spread of the highly-transmissible Delta variant and new data about its ability to cause symptoms in fully vaccinated individuals, YKHC is updating our recommendations to help us continue to protect one another, our elders, and our children.”
The updated community guidance, published on August 10, can be found on YKHC’s website at https://www.ykhc.org/covid-19/resources/.
“The most important message of our new COVID-19 mitigation recommendations are that people should choose safe and effective vaccination against COVID-19, wear a mask indoors when around others you do not live with, and test if you have any COVID-19 symptoms,” said Infection Control Director Dr. Elizabeth Bates. “These are the important things we can do to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.”
YK Delta communities can determine the level of transmission in their respective sub-regions by reviewing the latest COVID-19 Situation Report, published Fridays at https://www.ykhc.org/covid-19/situation-reports/.
The COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone age 12 and older and offers significant protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19. To sign up for the vaccine, complete the survey at https://tinyurl.com/8kb9vth or call 800-478-6599. The vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing serious illness and death due to COVID-19.
