A total of 228 Alaskans and one non-resident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state in March, including 23 deaths reported since January 1. Alaska’s per capita mortality rate is one of the lowest in the country, although the state’s size and vulnerable health care system make national comparisons difficult.
By Sunday, 65 people with COVID-19 had been admitted to the hospital across the state and presumably another five people in the hospitals had been infected. Hospitalizations are about half the level reported in November and early December when the state saw the highest peak in cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the virus reached Alaska in March. At the time, officials feared hospitals could be overwhelmed by COVID-19 infections.
Business has declined over the past few weeks, but the state is still up to date.
Vaccines arrived in Alaska in mid-December, and by Friday, 43,992 Alaskans had received their first dose, according to the State Vaccine Monitoring Panel. Nearly 11,000 Alaskans received the second dose of the vaccine by Friday, the most recent available data.
Healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents were the first group to receive the vaccinations. Earlier this month, the state opened the vaccines to adults over the age of 65, although the appointment slots were limited and filled quickly when the scheduling window opened.
For more information on getting vaccinated, the public can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 and leave a message. According to a survey, calls will be returned within 48 hours, but some users have reported longer delays.
Of the 265 cases reported Sunday in Alaska residents, 55 were in Anchorage, three in Chugiak and five in Eagle River; one was in Anchor Point and one in Homer; three were in Kodiak; three were in Cordova and one in Valdez; 29 were in Fairbanks and six in the North Pole; a wax in Delta Junction; two were in Big Lake; eight in Palmer and 18 in Wasilla; a wax in Nome; six was in Utqiagvik; two were in Juneau; 24 was in Unalaska; eight were in Bethel; and one was in Hooper Bay.
Among communities smaller than 1,000 people not named for privacy, there was one in the northern Kenai Peninsula district; the one was in Kodiak Island Borough; one was in the Copper River area of the Valdez-Cordova Census area; one was in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; three were in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; the one was in the Nome census area; three were in the North Slope City; four were in the Northwest Arctic District; one was in the Yakutat plus Hoonah-Angoon area; 43 were in the Bethel census area; five were in the districts of Lake Bristol and the Peninsula; four were in the Dillingham census area; and 19 were in the Kusilvak census area.
Six cases have been reported in non-residents, including two infections in Anchorage, one in Wasilla and three infections with the site still under investigation.
Although people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
The state’s data does not determine whether people who are positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. According to CDC estimates, more than half of the country’s infections are transmitted by asymptomatic people.
The positive percentage of the whole test on Sunday was 3.52% over a seven day average. Health officials say anything above 5% could indicate inadequate testing and widespread community transmission. The state peaked at more than 9% in November.