The department is no longer updating its coronavirus dashboard this weekend or on vacation. Monday’s update includes issues that would be reported over the weekend.
The weekend reported the death of the coronavirus from a woman from Anchorage in her 70s. A total of 287 Alaskans and two non-residents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic hit the state in March.
Alaska’s per capita mortality rate is still among the lowest in the country, but the state’s size and vulnerable health care system make national comparisons difficult.
The number of cases in Alaska has been steadily declining over the past two months, following a peak in November and early December that the hospital’s capacity was strained before kicking off. Hospitalizations in Alaska are now less than a quarter of what they were during the peak in November and December.
By Monday, there were 35 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, including five which was on fans. Four more it is believed that patients have the virus.
The COVID-19 vaccine reached Alaska in mid-December. According to Monday, 142,531 people – nearly 20% of Alaska’s total population – received at least their first vaccine shot, according to the state panel for vaccination monitoring. This is well above the national average of 13.1%.
Among Alaskans 16 and older, just over 25% received at least one dose of vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use in people 16 years and older, and Moderna’s has been cleared for use in people 18 and older.
Healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents were the first people to receive the vaccine. Alaskans over the age of 65 were eligible in early January, and this month the state extended the admission requirements to educators, people 50 years and older with a high-risk medical condition, essential workers 50 and older and people living in congregations. live or work. institutions such as shelters and prisons.
Those eligible to receive the vaccine can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up and be eligible. The telephone line is on weekdays 09: 00-18: 30 and on weekends 09: 00-16: 30.
Despite the small print, all but four of Alaska’s regions are still in the highest alert category based on the current per capita infection rate, and public health officials are urging Alaskans to continue their personal virus mitigation efforts such as hand washing, masking and socializing. distance. An extremely contagious variant of the virus reached Alaska last month.
Of the 311 cases reported Monday among Alaska residents, 74 were in Anchorage, plus seven in Eagle River, four in Chugiak and three in Girdwood; 65 in Wasilla; 32 in Fairbanks plus 11 in the North Pole; 22 in Palmer; 18 in Juneau; seven in Ketchikan; seven in Petersburg; four in Bethel; three in Dillingham; three in Soldotna; two in Cordova; two in Kenai; two in Sitka; one in Big Lake; one in Homer; one in Hooper Bay; one in Seward; one in Utqiagvik; and one in Wrangell.
Among communities with a population below 1,000 that are not named for privacy protection, 16 cases have been reported in the Bethel census area; seven in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; six in the Kusilvak census area; three in the Denali district; two in the Matanuska-Susitna district; two in the Northwest North Pole area; one in the Copper River Census Area; one in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; and one in the region of Yakutat plus Hoonah-Angoon.
Thirty-five cases were also identified among non-residents: 24 in Unalaska, three in the Eastern District of Aleutians; one in Anchorage, two Fairbanks, one in Prudhoe Bay, and two in an unidentified region of the state.
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.
Of all the tests done in the past week, 2.08% came back positive. Officials said a positive rate of more than 5% indicates a high percentage of community spread and not enough testing.