Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 67 cases and no deaths reported Friday

Alaska on Friday reported 67 new coronavirus infections and no COVID-related deaths, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

In total, 306 Alaskans and four nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring. Alaska’s death rate per capita is still among the lowest in the country, but the state’s size and vulnerable health care system complicate national comparisons.

Alaska this month became the first state in the country to open up vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older who lives or works 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 phone line is staffed 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

By Friday, 206,877 people — about 36% of Alaskans eligible for a shot — had received at least their first dose, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. At least 144,644 people — about 25% of Alaskans 16 and older — were considered fully vaccinated.

Although case counts and hospitalizations in Alaska remain far below what they were during the peak in November and December, the overall decline in cases has slowed in recent weeks, and several regions of the state are trending up and still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection.

Health officials in particular have recently expressed concern about the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which currently has the highest case rate in the state.

[Anchorage COVID-19 numbers are down. Now it’s neighboring Mat-Su that has officials worried.]

Public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to keep up with personal virus mitigation efforts like hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing and getting tested if symptomatic or exposed to someone with COVID-19.

By Friday, there were 37 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020 but trending slightly up compared to recent weeks. Another two patients had test results pending.

Of the 64 cases identified among Alaska residents Friday, there were 17 in Anchorage plus one in Chugiak and one in Eagle River; two in Valdez; one in Seward; one in Healy; two in Fairbanks plus one in North Pole; 13 in in Delta Junction; five in Palmer; 17 in Wasilla; two in Utqiagvik; and one in Sitka.

There were also three new nonresident cases identified: one in Anchorage, one in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and one in an unidentified region of the state.

While people might get tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.

The state’s data doesn’t specify whether people testing positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the nation’s infections are transmitted from asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.

Of all the tests conducted statewide over the last week, 2.32% came back positive.

Note: the state no longer updates in coronavirus dashboard on weekends, and will instead include that data in Monday’s report.

— Annie Berman