The person who died was an Anchorage man in his 70s, the health department said. The data does not yet reflect the death of a Utqiagvik resident reported on Monday by the Arctic Slope Native Association.
In total, 224 Alaskans – plus the resident of Utqiagvik – and a non-resident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic hit the state in March. Alaska’s per capita mortality rate is among the lowest in the country, although the size of the state and the vulnerable health system complicate national comparisons.
As of Tuesday, 67 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized across the state and four other patients were suspected of having the virus, according to the state. Hospitalizations in general are declining, especially since high numbers were reported in November and early December.
The state’s daily case counts have also dropped significantly over the past few weeks, although health officials continue to express concern about an increase after the holidays. The alert level across the state is still high.
Vaccines arrived in Alaska in mid-December. On Tuesday, 29,803 people received their first dose of the vaccine, with 5,976 having received the two doses required for the vaccine to be fully effective, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel.
State officials said this week that the state had allocated the vaccine received for December and January, but there are still consultations and major clinics taking place in the coming days and weeks.
For more information, the public can go to covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 and leave a message. A recording says that calls will be returned in the order they were received within 48 hours.
Of the 155 new cases reported on Tuesday among Alaskan residents, 32 occurred in Anchorage, one more in Chugiak and two in Eagle River; one at Anchor Point, two at Homer, four at Kenai, two at Soldotna and one at Sterling; 18 in Fairbanks and five at the North Pole; one in Tok; one in Big Lake, eight in Palmer and 14 in Wasilla; two in Utqiagvik; eight in Juneau; two in Ketchikan; four in Sitka; one in Unalaska; 13 at Bethel; one in Chevak; and one in Hooper Bay.
Among communities with less than 1,000 unnamed people to protect privacy, there were 13 in the North Slope neighborhood; two at Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the Name Census Area; one in the Northwest Arctic; eight in the Bethel Census Area; one in the Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula neighborhoods; and five in the Kusilvak Census Area.
Four cases were reported on Tuesday among non-residents, including one in Anchorage, one in Sitka, one in Unalaska and one in Bethel.
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.
The statewide positive test rate on Tuesday was 4.4% over an average of seven days. Health officials say anything above 5% could indicate inadequate testing and widespread transmission in the community. The state reached a peak of positivity of more than 9% in November.