Anchorage ICU Capacity Plummets Over Weekend
This morning's data from the Municipality of Anchorage COVID-19 Dashboard shows that Anchorage is reporting 0 available staffed ICU beds.
On Friday, the Municipality reported that 7 staffed ICU beds were available in Anchorage hospitals, and by Saturday, that number had dropped to 1.
Dr. Clancy, an Anchorage infectious disease doctor who has worked in the city for roughly 16 years, told the Anchorage assembly last week that "We either need to choose to do something on a community level to slow down the volume in the hospitals, or we're really choosing healthcare collapse in this city." (Audio)
Anchorage Mayor David Bronson has refused to protect public health and safety by mandating COVID-19 mitigation strategies such as mask-wearing in public spaces. Anchorage's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Savitt, is a pediatrician who struggled to define what a 'reproductive number' was earlier this month.
Epidemiologist Janet Johnston resigned from her position at the Anchorage Health Department in July. In addition, Dr. Bruce Chandler, the Anchorage Health Department’s longtime medical officer who specialized in infectious disease control and prevention, also resigned. Dr. Chandler's effective resignation date was August 15.
On July 23, Johnston sent a Covid-19 risk assessment update for the Municipality of Anchorage to the Anchorage Health Policy Committee through David Morgan, the then Anchorage Health Department Director appointed by Anchorage Mayor David Bronson.
Community factors provided in Johnston’s Covid-19 risk assessment noted:
- The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading broadly in Anchorage.
- Case counts and hospitalizations are increasing rapidly in Anchorage and across the state.
- Cases counts and hospitalizations are expected to continuing increasing until we see a significant increase in vaccination coverage and/or the use of non-pharmacologic interventions, such as masks and social distancing.
Last week, Jared Kosin, president, and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association said that as far as the Association was concerned, "the crisis we have been warning about is here," adding, "And we need to act like that. It looks like it's going to get a lot worse."
Alaska Governor Michael Dunleavy has stopped short of urging residents to get vaccinated, instead suggesting that they talk to their doctor about getting vaccinated — "if that's what they really want to do."
The Anchorage School District said Friday that it would temporarily suspend bus service for designated routes beginning August 30, 2021. The district says that the action is necessary due to a shortage of bus drivers resulting from driver attrition and the impacts of COVID-19 on the transportation staff.
Everyone age 12 and older is now eligible for a free vaccine in Anchorage, and many sites no longer require an appointment.
