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We Alaskans pride ourselves on our grit and independence. During these difficult times, however, it has become more important than ever to reach Outside and support global efforts to fight COVID-19. In order to do so, our state’s congressional delegation must ensure that America continues to provide financial support to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), which have led the global fight against COVID-19 by providing countries with critical public health guidance, medical equipment, and research support. Right now, the State Department is withholding funding from the WHO and has begun to withdraw America from the WHO. In addition, the White House has only partially met PAHO’s appeal for funding to address COVID-19 (providing only $95 million of a requested $200 million), even though the countries leading the world in COVID-19 cases are in the Americas.
Supporting the WHO and PAHO is especially important in light of Alaska’s unique vulnerability to COVID-19. From a medical perspective, over one-tenth of our residents live off the road system and are several hours away from an emergency medical facility, which can save lives in severe cases of COVID-19. From a population health perspective, more than one-third of our state’s residents are people of color, who are especially at risk of contracting or dying from COVID-19, and almost 10% of our residents are members of military families, who could be at risk of contracting COVID-19 from permanent change of station (PCS) travel.
COVID-19 is also harming Alaska’s economy. Over the summer, our fishing communities were devastated by the pandemic. In Bristol Bay, for example, COVID-19 protection measures increased production costs and halved the prices of each catch. In addition, our tourism industry drastically underperformed this year’s expectations, and will likely suffer even more from ongoing travel restrictions. Overall, our state’s economy continues to lag behind the rest of the country, and in the Southeast, where increased lockdowns have occurred, it’s estimated that one-quarter of businesses might have to close.
Moreover, COVID-19 is crippling our kids' education. In Anchorage, every student continues to take classes online. In Fairbanks and the Mat-Su, attempts to hold in-person classes have led to COVID-19 clusters and school closures.
Some folks might worry that the work of the WHO and PAHO won’t have an immediate impact on Alaska. To the contrary: We won’t be able to restore Alaska’s economy, protect Alaska’s people of color and military families, or safeguard Alaska’s education system until we solve COVID-19 on a global scale. The more we support the WHO and PAHO, the more likely it becomes that we develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, and the more likely it becomes that Alaska avoids any additional COVID-19 cases, deaths, and economic and educational damage.
Our congressional delegation is among the most important in Washington. To protect the lives of our fellow Alaskans, we need them to speak up and protect America’s relationship with the WHO and PAHO. In particular, we need Rep. Don Young and Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan to:
1. Prevent America’s withdrawal from the WHO.
2. Ensure full funding for the WHO and PAHO, so the two organizations can continue to fund COVID-19 research, diagnostic tests, and personal protective equipment (such as masks, gloves, and gowns) for frontline healthcare workers.
3. Support legislation that strengthens America’s commitment to protecting global and regional health security through the WHO and PAHO.
To protect Alaska from COVID-19, we need to save the world from COVID-19. By taking the actions above, our national representatives will help make that happen.
A.J. Tsang graduated from Eagle River High School in 2015 and served as the Vice President of the Anchorage School District Student Advisory Board from 2013 to 2015; he is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University , where he served as Student Body President and majored in Public Health and French. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not reflect the views of any institutions with which he may be affiliated.
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