Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 183 infections and no deaths reported Friday

Alaska reported 183 new coronavirus infections and no new COVID-related deaths on Friday, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

Over half of the resident cases were confirmed in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which has one of the highest infection rates in the state over the last two weeks.

Case counts and hospitalizations in Alaska remain far below what they were during the peak in November and December. However, Alaska is now experiencing a slight increase in its average daily case rate compared to recent weeks. Many regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection.

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. In total, 309 Alaskans and four nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring.

Alaska this month became the first state in the country to open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older who lives or works in the state. You can 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, 226,884 people — including over 39% of Alaskans eligible for a shot — had received at least their first dose, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. At least 155,264 people — about 27% of Alaskans 16 and older — were considered fully vaccinated.

[From airports to high schools, Alaska’s vaccine coordinators are working to ‘go where the people are’]

By Friday, there were 27 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020. Another three patients had test results pending.

Of the 179 cases identified among Alaska residents on Friday, there were were 49 in Anchorage plus six in Eagle River; 61 in Wasilla; 27 in Palmer; five in Delta Junction; four in Big Lake; four in Healy; two in Valdez; two in Kenai; two in Fairbanks; two in North Pole; two in Sitka; one in Houston; one in Sutton-Alpine; one in Juneau; one in Unalaska; and one in Bethel.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 residents which aren’t named to protect privacy, there were three in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, one in the Copper River Census Area and two in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

There were also four nonresident cases: two in Kodiak and two in undetermined parts 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.

The average percentage of daily positive tests over the last week was 2.68%.

— Morgan Krakow