Friday’s case count continues a downward trend in the number of infections, after a peak in November and early December that caused authorities to be concerned about the hospital’s capacity. Twice this week, the daily case count has dropped to double digits for the first time since September.
In response to the decline in counting, Anchorage’s acting mayor, Austin Quinn-Davidson, announced this week that the city will soon relax its COVID-19 restrictions under a new emergency order that will allow more people in bars and restaurants and reduce the limits. of sizes and organized sports.
Emergency Order 18 goes into effect at 8 am on Monday and will remain in effect until revoked, Quinn-Davidson said on Thursday.
Despite the declining number of cases in general, Alaska remains in the highest alert category based on its current rate of infection per capita. And the number of cases remains high and is increasing in western Alaska, where some villages have suffered significant outbreaks.
Hospitalizations also continued to fall and are now less than a third from where they were during the state’s peak in November and December. As of Friday, there were 43 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, five of whom were suspected of having the virus. Ten COVID-positive patients were on ventilators.
The vaccine arrived in Alaska in mid-December. On Friday, 90,777 people – about 12% of the Alaskan population – were vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel. This is almost double the national average of 7.2%.
Health professionals, nursing teams and residents were the first people to receive vaccination. In early January, the state said adults over 65 were now eligible, although the hours available were limited and filled quickly.
Of the 176 cases reported among Alaskan residents on Friday, there were 67 in Anchorage, three more in Chugiak and five in Eagle River; one in Homer; one at Seward; two in Soldotna; three in Kodiak; one in Córdoba; one in Healy; 12 in Fairbanks plus two at the North Pole; one in Tok; seven in Palmer; two at Sutton-Alpine; 25 in Wasilla; one in Utqiagvik; 17 in Juneau; two in Ketchikan; one in Sitka; one in Hoonah-Angoon; three in Unalaska; and eight at Bethel.
Among communities with populations under 1,000 unidentified to protect privacy, there were two in the Matanuska-Susitna neighborhood; three in the Bethel Census Area; and five in the Kusilvak census area.
Eight non-residents also tested positive: one in Anchorage, one in Unalaska and six in an unidentified region of the state.
Although people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
State data does not specify whether people who test positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the country’s infections are transmitted by asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.
Last week, 2.72% of all tests completed across the state were positive.