COVID-19 follow-up in Alaska: 213 cases and no deaths reported Thursday

Alaska’s per capita death rate is still among the lowest in the country, but the size of the state and vulnerable health care system complicate national comparisons.

Coronavirus cases have steadily declined in recent months after a surge in infections in November and early December that strained hospital capacity.

Hospitalizations in Alaska have declined with cases and are now less than a quarter of what they were during the peak in November and December.

As of Thursday, there were 33 people with COVID-19 in hospitals statewide, including three on ventilators. Four other patients were suspected of having the virus.

The COVID-19 vaccine reached Alaska in mid-December. As of Thursday, 133,221 people – nearly 18% of Alaska’s total population – had received at least their first vaccine, according to the state’s Vaccine Monitoring Dashboard. This is well above the national average of 12.1%.

About 1 in 4 Alaskans aged 16 and over had received at least one dose of the vaccine on Thursday. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for people 16 years of age and older, and Moderna has been approved for people 18 years of age and older.

Healthcare workers, nursing home staff and residents were the first priority people to receive the vaccine. Alaskans over 65 became eligible in early January, and the state further expanded the eligibility criteria last week to include educators, people 50 and older with a disability. high-risk health care workers, front-line essential workers 50 and over, and people living or working in congregations. settings such as shelters and prisons.

Those eligible to receive the vaccine can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 – the number is dialed 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends – for register and to confirm eligibility.

Despite the lower numbers, public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to follow personal virus mitigation efforts such as hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing. A highly contagious variant of the virus reached Alaska in December.

Of the 209 cases reported among Alaskan residents Thursday, there were 47 in Anchorage plus two in Chugiak, nine in Eagle River and one in Girdwood; three in Kenai; one in Nikiski; two in Seward; two in Soldotna; one at Healy; 16 in Fairbanks; six at the North Pole; one in Tok; four at Big Lake; 20 in Palmer; two at Sutton-Alpine; 57 in Wasilla; one in Utqiagvik; 10 in Ketchikan; one in Petersburg; and one in Sitka.

Among the communities under 1,000 not named for privacy, there were two in the Fairbanks North Star borough; one in the Yukon-Koyukuk census region; one in the census area of ​​Nome; 15 in the Bethel census area; and three in the Kusilvak census area.

Four cases were also identified among non-residents of the eastern district of the Aleutians.

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.

Of the 24,884 tests done in the past seven days, 2.27% came back positive.