Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 116 new cases and no deaths reported over long Memorial Day weekend

Alaska reported 116 new coronavirus infections and no deaths linked to COVID-19 over the long Memorial Day weekend, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

Alaska’s average daily case counts are now trending down significantly statewide. The state last month 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 a couple regions remain at a high alert level due to higher case rates.

Anyone 12 and older who visits, 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 Tuesday, at least 317,493 people — around 52% of Alaskans 12 and older — had received at least their first dose of vaccine. At least 279,024 people — 46% of eligible Alaskans — were considered fully vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard.

Also by Tuesday, there were 21 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.

Of the 108 cases reported among Alaska residents on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday combined, there were 24 in Anchorage; 12 in Wasilla; 10 in Fairbanks; eight in Nome; seven in Juneau; six Ketchikan; five in Tok; four in North Pole; four in Palmer; three in Delta Junction; three Kenai; two in Metlakatla; two in Soldotna; and one each in Chugiak, Eagle River, Girdwood, Healy and Hooper Bay.

Among smaller communities not named to protect residents’ privacy, there were four in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area; three in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area; two in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; two in the Nome Census Area; and one each in the Bethel Census Area and the Copper River Census Area.

Eight new nonresident cases were also identified, including three in Anchorage; two in Juneau; one in Kenai; one in Petersburg; 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.

— Morgan Krakow