"Tessa Walker Linderman"

While a COVID-19 vaccine may be available in Alaska as soon as mid-December, there will be challenges with bringing it to people in rural areas.

Some travelers in Alaska have seen airport screening lines being bypassed en masse or unstaffed. Screening officials looked into it and think they know why.

Most people who took a flight to Alaska from out of state last week opted to bypass the two-week quarantine and undergo COVID-19 testing instead, according to state health officials.

Alaska health officials acknowledge that the testing system had issues in the beginning that led to some delays and confusion. But they say fixes are underway, and the process should be smoother and faster now.