A Fairbanks man in his 30s recently died of COVID-19, according to Saturday’s health officials report. This brings the number of COVID-19-related deaths across the state to 223.
Alaska reported 378 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, 51 of them in Fairbanks, 13 at the North Pole and eight elsewhere in Fairbanks North Star Borough, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Anchorage saw 119 new cases, Wasilla saw 39, Palmer 14 and Kenai 11.
“You can see that the downward trend has generally continued,” said Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s medical director, in her video update on Friday. “However, unfortunately, we are starting to see a certain level and, in some areas, we are starting to see an increase in cases.”
At Fairbanks North Star Borough, the test positivity rate for the past seven days is 6.44%, which indicates widespread transmission in the community.
To help reduce the virus, health officials continue to encourage the public to wear masks, keep their distance and avoid meetings larger than their immediate circle.
In terms of COVID-19 tests, in addition to recommending those with symptoms and travelers to be tested, employees are suggesting surveillance – biweekly or weekly – regular tests for people who regularly interact with people outside the home, at work or not.
New variant COVID-19
A new, more communicable variant found in other countries has not been reported in Alaska, but health officials are closely monitoring the situation.
The mutant virus does not lead to more serious diseases, but because of its highly transmissible nature, more people are likely to contract it, and as a result, more people can die, state epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin said during a news conference on Thursday market.
Current COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the new variant of the virus, but at some point the virus can mutate to the point that we need an updated vaccine, McLaughlin explained.
So far, at least 25,085 Alaskans have been vaccinated.
Contact the team editor Alena Naiden at 459-7587. Follow her on twitter.com/FDNMlocal.