Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 89 infections, 1 death reported Tuesday

Alaska on Tuesday reported 89 new COVID-19 infections and a coronavirus-related death in the Northwest Arctic Borough, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services.

Tuesday’s case count continues a trend of declining infection numbers after a peak in November and early December that caused officials to worry about hospital capacity. On Monday, the daily case count fell into the double digits for the first time since September.

Still, despite the decreasing case numbers, Alaska remains in the highest alert category based on its current per capita rate of infection.

Hospitalizations have also continued to fall, and are now about a third of where they were during the state’s peak in November and December. By Tuesday, there were 56 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state. One other patient was suspected of having the virus. Five COVID-positive people were on ventilators.

One death was reported Tuesday. In total, 258 Alaskans and two nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state in March. 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.

The vaccine reached Alaska in mid-December and by Tuesday, 82,468 people — just over 11% of Alaska’s population — had been vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. At least 19,117 people had received both doses of the vaccination. Alaska has currently vaccinated more residents per capita than any other state, according to a national tracker.

Health care workers and nursing home staff and residents were the first people to receive the vaccination. In early January, the state said adults older than 65 were now eligible, although appointment slots are limited and have filled quickly.

New vaccine appointments for the month of February will go live on the state’s vaccination website (covidvax.alaska.gov) beginning on Thursday at noon.

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The number of available appointments are determined by how much vaccine the state receives in February and are open to adults 65 and older. The new appointments will begin on Feb. 4.

For more information about vaccination appointments, visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 and leave a message. A recording says calls will be returned in the order they’re received within 48 hours, but some users have reported longer delays. State officials said beginning this week, those calls will be answered live.

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Of the 86 cases reported in Alaska residents on Tuesday, there were 20 in Anchorage plus one in Chugiak and three in Eagle River; one in Homer; one in Seward; one in Soldotna; one in Cordova; seven in Fairbanks; one in North Pole; one in Big Lake; four in Palmer; two in Sutton-Alpine; 12 in Wasilla; one in Kotzebue; one in Haines; five in Juneau; two in Unalaska; and four in Bethel.

Among communities with populations under 1,000 people not named to protect privacy, there was one in the Nome Census Area; one in the Prince of Wales and Hyder Census Area; 11 in the Bethel Census Area; and five in the Kusilvak Census Area.

Three cases were reported in nonresidents in Unalaska.

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.

Over the past week, 3.07% of all tests completed statewide came back positive.

—Annie Berman