COVID-19 follow-up in Alaska: 195 cases and no new deaths reported on Saturday



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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 death rate is among the lowest in the country, although the size and vulnerability of the healthcare system complicates national comparisons.

On Saturday, 54 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized around Alaska and four more patients were suspected of having the virus, according to the state health department. Hospitalizations have fallen to less than half of reported figures during a peak in November and early December.

While cases of COVID-19 have declined in recent weeks, they are starting to stabilize and the state remains on high alert.

In Anchorage, as the number of cases and hospitalizations stabilized, they did so at levels of concern, according to Janet Johnston, an epidemiologist in the Anchorage Department of Health. This pattern is similar to the one the city saw in October, just before a major spike in cases.

“It’s a huge improvement, but I want people to keep in mind that this is a high level of virus in the community and that means if we start to see an increase in the rate of transmission, we could be back where we were really quick, ”Johnston said in a video message Friday.

Vaccines reached Alaska in mid-December. As of Friday’s last update, 43,992 people had received their first dose of the vaccine and 10 954 had received the two doses needed for the vaccine to be fully effective, according to the state’s Vaccine Monitoring Dashboard.

State officials said this week the state has allocated the received vaccine for December and January, but there are still appointments and large clinics in the days and weeks ahead.

For more information, the public can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 and leave a message. A record says calls will be returned in order of receipt within 48 hours, but users are reporting longer delays.

Of the 190 new cases reported among residents, there were 56 in Anchorage, five in Chugiak, three in Eagle River and one in Girdwood; 21 in Wasilla; 13 in Palmer; 10 in Fairbanks; nine at Bethel; seven at the North Pole; five in Soldotna; five at Kodiak; four in Utqiagvik; three in Unalaska; two in Kenai; one in Big Lake; one in Nome; one in Kotzebue; and one in Juneau.

Among communities of less than 1,000 people not named for privacy, there were 15 in the Kusilvak census area; 11 in the Bethel census area; new in the North Slope borough; two in the northern Kenai Peninsula; two in the Yukon-Koyukuk census region; one in the Copper River area; one in the Fairbanks North Star borough; and one in the Arctic Northwest Borough.

Five non-residents have tested positive for COVID-19: two in Wasilla, one in the northwest Arctic, one in Juneau and one in an unknown location.

While people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state’s health department represents only one person.

State data does not specify whether people who test positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the country’s infections are transmitted by asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.

The statewide test positivity rate on Saturday was 3.53% over an average of seven days. Health officials say anything over 5% can indicate inadequate testing and widespread community transmission. The condition peaked at over 9% positivity in November.

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