The Kenai Peninsula Borough held their first in-person meeting in several months in a newly-renovated chamber on Tuesday night. Among the topics to be discussed was an update on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution within the Kenai Peninsula borough.
Dr. Kristin Mitchell joined via the Zoom online platform to offer details. In doing so, she leaned heavily into the potential of the vaccines to help curb the negative impact of COVID-19 on the Kenai: “This vaccine effort really is the moonshot of our time. It has been a tremendous collaboration between private industry, science, government, communities, and I think Operation Warp Speed that has gotten us here so quickly really is one of the signature achievements of the current Trump Administration. It has allowed vaccine developers to really bring vaccine to market in a dramatically quicker way than has ever been possible before. That’s really come through federal dollars investing in guarantying that vaccine produced will be paid for whether or not it works. It has allowed private industry to make vaccine, and take that gamble, and really get us to a place where we have working vaccines much, much quicker than we would have otherwise.”
With regards to masks, the doctor explained why masks not only help prevent spreading COVID-19, but noted that they can contribute positively to potential receivers of the virus, as well: “The more germs you breathe in when you get a viral infection, the more likely you are to have a severe case. If you don’t breathe in very much virus, you’re not likely to get very sick. If you breathe in a lot of virus, you have a higher risk of being very sick.”
Dr. Mitchell said that mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines are effective on patients older than 65, which is different than other forms of vaccine. Both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, which are being utilized in Alaska, are mRNA vaccines: “It’s super exciting! It’s been very, very effective, including in older adults. Our previous vaccine technologies tend not to work very well in people over 65, and these mRNA platforms look like they work as well in people over 65 as they do in younger people. From a scientist’s perspective, that’s just tremendously exciting.”
She also spent time debunking common myths about the vaccines, including noting that there is zero evidence that the vaccine introduces COVID-19 to the body, that there is no way the vaccine could cause infertility, and that those with food allergies should be not be discouraged from receiving the vaccine.
She called to mind how Alaska’s recovery from past moments of struggling is an indication that the state can mount a strong comeback during this pandemic.
