State data showed the deaths were from Anchorage and Fairbanks residents. No other information about the deceased was immediately available, nor was it clear whether the deaths occurred recently. A total of 308 Alaskans and four non-residents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic hit the state last spring. Alaska’s death toll per capita is still among the lowest in the country, but the state’s size and vulnerable health care system make national comparisons difficult.
Alaska this month became the first state in the country to be eligible for vaccine for anyone 16 years and older living or working in the state. You can now visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The telephone line is manned on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:30 and on weekends from 09:00 to 16:30.
Teen Tuesday 232 523 people, including about 38% of Alaskans eligible for a shot, have received at least their first dose, according to the state vaccine monitoring panel. At least 155,485 people – about 26% of Alaska’s 16 and older – are considered fully vaccinated.
Although the number of cases and hospitalizations in Alaska remains much lower than it was during the peak in November and December, the decline in cases has slowed over the past few weeks, and five regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current infection rate per capita.
Public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to keep up with personal virus mitigation efforts such as hand washing, masking, social distance and to be tested if it is symptomatic or exposed to someone with COVID-19.
By Tuesday, there were 40 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, well below a peak at the end of 2020. Another three patients had completed the test results.
Of the 173 cases identified among Alaska residents Tuesday were 63 in Anchorage plus one in Chugiak and nine in Eagle River; one in Kenai; one in Seward; one in Kodiak; one in Healy; 10 in Fairbanks; four in Delta Junction; two in Big Lake; nine in Palmer; 38 in Wasilla; one in Willow; one in Utqiagvik; one in Haines; three in Ketchikan; and one in Bethel.
Among communities smaller than 1,000 residents not named for privacy, there were three in the Copper River census area; one in the southern district of Kenai Peninsula; three in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; six in the Matanuska-Susitna district; and 13 in the Bethel census area.
Five new cases of non-residents have also been identified: one in Anchorage, three in the northern slope city and one 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.
The average percentage of daily positive tests during the past week was 2.43%.