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Alaska reported three deaths on Friday, including two recent, as an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations from the highly infectious delta variant continued.
The state reported 585 new cases over two days, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services dashboard. There have been 100 people hospitalized with the virus, including 16 on ventilators.
State data showed the deaths involved a Palmer man in his 60s, an Anchorage woman in her 50s and an Anchorage man in his 40s. Two of the deaths were recent, a spokesperson for the health ministry said. One was in May, but was reported this week following a standard review of death certificates.
A total of 382 Alaskans and seven non-residents have died from COVID-19.
During the state’s worst peak last winter, the number of virus-related hospitalizations hovered between 150 and 160. That statistic fell to around 20 in May, but started to rise sharply again this month.
The health department also moved its state alert card entirely into the red on Friday, indicating rapid transmission of COVID-19. The change means an increase in the number of cases in the last three regions previously outside the high alert category: Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Northwest region and part of the Southeast.
The state ranks the high alert as a two-week average of more than 10 cases per 100,000 people. This suggests widespread community transmission, with many undetected cases and frequent outbreaks.
The state’s test positivity rate also continued to rise on Friday. Of all tests done in the past week, 5.65% were positive. Epidemiologists have said that a positivity rate above 5% is cause for concern, as it indicates higher transmission and insufficient detection of the virus.
Of the 536 cases reported among Alaskan residents, there were 173 in Anchorage, 36 in Sitka, 31 in Fairbanks, 30 in Kenai, 25 in Wasilla, 23 in Juneau, 20 in Palmer, 20 in Soldotna, 19 in Cordova, 18 in Eagle River, 14 in Seward, 12 in Ketchikan, eight in North Pole, seven in Kodiak, six in Bethel, six in Chugiak, four in Nikiski, four in Valdez, three in Big Lake, three in Sterling, three in Tok, three in Unalaska, three in Utqiagvik, two in Shevak, two in Homer, two in Metlakatla and one in Craig, Douglas, Girdwood, Kotzebue and Skagway.
Among the small communities, there were 12 in the Bethel census area, 12 in the Kusilvak census area, 10 in the northern district of the Kenai peninsula, five in the Nome census area, five in the Prince of Wales and Hyder Census Area, three in the Copper River Census Area, two in the Chugach Census Area and one in each of the Aleutians West Census Area, Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula, Fairbanks North Star Borough, South Kenai Peninsula Borough and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area.
49 non-resident cases were also reported: 12 in Anchorage, five in one or more smaller communities in the Prince of Wales and Hyder census region, five in Unalaska, five in Wasilla, four in Seward, four in Sitka , three in Soldotna, two in Fairbanks, two in Kodiak, two in Prudhoe Bay, one in Healy, one in Kenai, one in a small community on the Kenai Peninsula, one in Ketchikan and one in Skagway.
The state’s health department said this week that even fully vaccinated Alaskans in communities with high COVID-19 transmission should consider re-masking in indoor public spaces as additional protection against the delta variant which can spread by infected vaccinated people. This recommendation was in line with recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.
Health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to get vaccinated, calling the vaccine the best tool the state has to deal with the increase in cases and hospitalizations caused by the virus. As of Friday, 48% of all Alaskans had received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 43% of the population were considered fully vaccinated.
As of Monday, the state announced that it will resume updating its coronavirus dashboard every day of the week.
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