Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 99 cases and no deaths reported over the weekend

Alaska between Saturday and Monday reported 99 new coronavirus infections and no deaths linked to COVID-19, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. The state no longer updates its coronavirus dashboard over the weekend and instead includes those numbers in Monday’s report.

Alaska’s average daily case counts are now trending down significantly statewide. The state last week went from a high alert level to an intermediate alert level for the first time since September, indicating less spread and fewer cases overall, though some regions remain at a high alert level due to higher case rates.

Anyone 12 and older who lives or works in Alaska can now receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Alaskans can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment, and new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

Only Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for children as young as 12; the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved only for those 18 and older.

By Monday, about 318,530 people had received at least their first dose of vaccine. At least 278,856 people are considered fully vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard.

Also by Monday, there were 20 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020.

In total, 362 Alaskans and seven nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring. Alaska’s death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country, though the state’s size, health care system and other factors complicate national comparisons. Four recent deaths were reported by the state Tuesday.

A geographic breakdown of the cases reported Saturday through Monday was not immediately available.

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.

— Annie Berman