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A recent resurgence of COVID-19 in Alaska continued over the weekend, with state data showing 456 new cases reported since Friday plus an increase in hospitalizations, pushing the state back to a level of high alert for the first time since May.
As of Monday, hospitalizations related to the virus in the state had exceeded a previous increase in May. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services, 69 Alaskans have been hospitalized statewide with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, including 12 people on ventilators.
While many recent Alaska hospitalizations have been concentrated in Anchorage, in the more rural Yukon Delta-Kuskokwim region, three hospitalizations have been reported in the past two weeks, including two patients currently in hospital.
Prior to that, the region’s last hospitalization was in mid-April, a spokesperson for the regional health society said on Monday.
Health officials partly attributed the recent increase in the number of cases in Alaska to the more contagious delta variant first identified in India in December. The delta variant is considered the most transmissible strain to date, and in some studies it has been linked to more serious illness than the original virus.
The three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the state have been shown to be quite effective in preventing serious illnesses caused by the virus, including its more contagious variants. As of Monday, 43% of all Alaskans were considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving many vulnerable to serious illness.
The vast majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Alaska involve unvaccinated Alaskans.
Of all tests done in the past week, 4.88% came back positive, the highest rate since the winter.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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