Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 2 deaths, 279 new infections reported Thursday

Alaska on Thursday reported 279 new coronavirus infections and two deaths associated with COVID-19, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

The deaths involved an Anchorage man in his 70s, and a Sterling man in his 80s.

There were 102 people with COVID-19 in Alaska hospitals, including 14 who were on ventilators, and another three in hospitals with suspected cases. Statewide, 55 intensive care unit beds were available.

Alaska saw record case counts through November and early December, but infections and hospitalizations in recent days appear to be leveling off, officials have said.

However, the number of infections reported daily remains higher than in spring, summer and early fall, and hospital capacity and staffing issues remain a concern, health officials say.

While officials attribute part of the drop in cases to Anchorage’s December “hunker down” order, Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said during the same call that actions by people outside the state’s largest city have helped too.

[COVID-19 cases in Anchorage and Alaska are on the decline. Is the ‘hunker down’ responsible?]

Officials added that in recent days, they have seen a drop in coronavirus testing statewide and aren’t sure of the reason.

The state health department continues to encourage Alaskans to get tested if they have coronavirus symptoms, and to avoid gatherings through the holidays.

Alaska has begun a statewide vaccination effort, last week receiving more than 35,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and this week 26,800 Moderna vaccine doses arrived.

By Thursday morning, the state’s vaccine webpage showed that 10,770 people in the state had received the Pfizer vaccine, and 232 had received Moderna shots. That tracker shows the number of vaccines administered slightly behind real time.

Hundreds of health care workers, emergency personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff are currently eligible for vaccination, but health officials say the general public likely won’t have access until the spring or summer.

In total, 198 Alaskans and one nonresident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska’s death rate per capita is among the lowest in the country, but officials say the state’s vast geography and vulnerable health care system make it difficult to compare with other states.

[As COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Alaska, the state’s top doctor reflects on ‘big changing point’ in pandemic]

Of the 270 cases reported among Alaska residents Thursday, there were 100 in Anchorage, plus three in Chugiak and six in Eagle River; four in Homer; seven in Kenai; one in Nikiski; seven in Soldotna; two in Sterling; 13 in Kodiak; 16 in Fairbanks plus nine in North Pole; one in Houston; two in Delta Junction; 18 in Palmer; 30 in Wasilla; one in Willow; two in Nome; seven in Utqiagvik; 12 in Juneau; three in Sitka; one in Skagway; one in Unalaska; and six in Bethel.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 people not named to protect privacy, there were two cases in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough; six in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area; six in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area; one in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; one in the North Slope Borough; one in Aleutians West Census Area.

There were also nine cases among nonresidents in Alaska, including three in Anchorage, two in Fairbanks, three in Unalaska and one in an unidentified region of the state.

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

It is not clear how many of the people who tested positive for the virus were showing symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about a third of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic.

Note: There will be no coronavirus data dashboard update on Christmas Day, according to the state health department.

— Annie Berman