By Michael Dunleavy On Tuesday night, I announced that COVID-19 vaccines are now available to any Alaskan who wants one. While seniors and our most vulnerable will continue to be prioritized, our vaccination infrastructure has grown tremendously over the past month. Many smaller communities have already fully opened their eligibility criteria, and the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a major boost to our supply chain. I encourage all Alaskans to visit covidvax.alaska.gov to sign up for one of the three available COVID-19 vaccinations. Those who need a helping hand or lack internet services can call 1-907-646-3322 to speak to a live operator. This historic step is yet another nationwide first for Alaska, but it should come as no surprise. Since day one, your response to the pandemic has been hands-down the best in the nation. While some claim we've simply been lucky, it's clear they're not students of history. Preventing a repeat of the tragedy that struck Alaska a century ago was never a foregone conclusion. In fact, the effort to protect rural Alaska was unprecedented in modern history. When no one else could produce sufficient testing supplies, Alaska was standing up rural testing hubs and a first-in-the-nation entry testing program. Our resource extractors and commercial fishing fleets went to extraordinary lengths to prevent community transmission. With the help of local and state partners, they successfully protected both our economy and some of the most vulnerable communities in Alaska. We did all this while maintaining our reputation as one of the freest people in the world. As governors around the country announced reopenings and the end of mask mandates last week, Alaska was notably absent. That's because I never issued such a mandate, and instead relied on your voluntary cooperation and willingness to protect the vulnerable. As early as April 2020, we began the process of reopening. We showed the world that individual Alaskans, not overbearing governments, are the best vanguards of our own health and wellbeing. Where local restrictions did exist, they were enacted by the elected leaders closest to the people. Ultimately, I couldn't be prouder of Alaska's response. From being the first state to offer widespread testing, to maintaining the third-lowest mortality rate in the country, to rolling out vaccinations to every willing Alaskan, we got here by working together. Now it's time to make the final push. With over 310 million shots administered worldwide, the safety and efficacy of available vaccines has been well established. All three provide excellent protection against severe COVID infections. That said, I want to be clear that I will never mandate that any Alaskan receive an emergency vaccine. While the initial safety data is overwhelmingly in favor of vaccination, this is a choice that must be made individually. But for the many Alaskans who have voluntarily given up going to the movies, visiting friends, and traveling around our state, vaccination comes as a welcome opportunity to return to normalcy. Regions like Kodiak Island, the Petersburg Borough, and the Kusilvak Census Area are rapidly nearing or exceeding 90% vaccination rates among seniors. In the Nome Census Area, over 60% of eligible residents have received at least one shot, and statewide, around 291,000 doses have been administered. In a year that's been notable for a great shortage of hope, this news couldn't come soon enough. With the end finally in sight, I truly believe Alaska has a real chance to come out of this pandemic stronger; to emerge with a renewed focus on building a self-sufficient sovereign capable of weathering any 21st Century storm. But first, let's not waste our shot to finish strong. If you're ready and willing to receive a vaccine, head over to covidvax.alaska.gov and sign up today. With your help, I'm confident Alaska will continue to lead our nation out of this pandemic. Mike Dunleavy is the 12th governor of Alaska.

By Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Last week, I watched as President Biden promised a return to the "restless, bold optimism" of yesteryear. Yet even as he opined on his commitment to govern for all Americans, his staff was quietly working to deprive vast swathes of citizens the opportunity to earn a living, lift themselves from poverty, and pursue the American dream. These actions came in the form of executive orders -- no doubt the first of many -- effectively terminating the Keystone XL pipeline and oil and gas projects on Alaska's North Slope. Many will claim these actions are right and proper. Rising stars in the Democratic Party have long been responsible for spreading outright falsehoods about society's ability to divorce itself from the resources under our feet. While tweeting from phones and offices filled with every imaginable mineral and petroleum product, they demand an end to the very industry that makes the modern world possible. President Biden, like myself, a son of Scranton's coal country, is smart enough to know better. But the war on resources is far too valuable a source of political capital. In the words of countless political advisors, "Never lose your allies to make peace with your enemies." In this case, the millions of Americans who stand to benefit from inexpensive energy and the opportunity that accompanies responsible resource development are squarely in the crosshairs. The true tragedy is that the least fortunate among us will suffer the most. Having spent nearly 20 years living and teaching in rural Alaska, I've witnessed the tremendous positive impact that Red Dog Mine brought to the Northwest Arctic. Residents once faced plagued by dwindling economic options, now make nearly twice the average income in Alaska while graduation rates have skyrocketed. Likewise, the people of the North Slope, nearly all of whom support responsible development, have worked hard to build up their health care and education infrastructure as a direct result of investment in the area. I have also seen the human suffering that amounts from a sustained lack of opportunity. Our nation's heartland is filled with forgotten communities and heartache. From Appalachia to the Dakotas, despair and hopelessness are a way of life for many. Our fellow Americans grow tired of waiting for help that never arrives. The help they need is not a handout. It's the ability to take advantage of the opportunity all around them. We need our politicians to give them a chance instead of sending resource production to dirty producers overseas. We need Washington to understand that taking away resource development from the cleanest, best-regulated sites in the world hurts the environment. The president is right that we will be judged by how we handle the turmoil ahead, but if he is sincere in his desire to end this "uncivil war," he must begin by listening to the downtrodden. Alaskans stand ready to work together with the new administration. I'm eager to get started on the big renewable energy projects that I hope will bring clean, inexpensive energy to Alaska and the nation, but these gains must not come at the expense of those who have been denied opportunity for too long. Mr. President, I urge you to chart a new path -- one that leaves behind the painful, politically driven resource wars of decades past. Let's work together and build an America that works for everyone.

Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more.Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryDaily updatesElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsSubmit On February 24, Dunleavy announced he tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, on February 22, Dunleavy said he had tested negative for coronavirus after coming into contact with someone who was positive for the virus. He entered a self-quarantine, but got re-tested after he began to feel unwell.