It is the lowest daily case count since October 7, when 123 were reported. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are also declining.
The cases reported on Monday fall in line with a trend in lower case numbers reported in recent weeks, after an increase from November to the beginning of December. Half of Alaskan virus deaths have been reported in the past six weeks. Health officials say a month-long slaughter order in Anchorage played a role in the decline, as did voluntary actions taken by people across the state.
There were no virus-related deaths reported on the state panel on Monday. In total, 199 Alaskans and a non-resident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska’s overall death rate per capita is among the lowest in the country, but officials say the state’s vast geography and vulnerable health system make it difficult to compare with other states.
Alaska received its first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December. Hospital health workers, emergency personnel and residents and employees in long-term care facilities were prioritized to receive the first doses.
As of Monday morning, 12,202 Alaskans had received the vaccines, according to the state’s vaccine information website, which is slightly behind in real time. The state’s vaccine allocation committee will make public comments on Monday.
On Monday, 70 Alaskans with COVID-19 were hospitalized and six others were suspected of having the virus. Almost 9.5% of adults in Alaskan hospitals have COVID-19.
Hospitalizations have declined across the state in recent weeks. In Anchorage, where the sickest patients are often treated, on Monday there were 24 beds in the intensive care unit available in 74.
Of the 124 infections reported on Monday in Alaskan residents, 62 occurred in Anchorage, three more in Chugiak and four in Eagle River; one in Kenai, one in Nikiski and one in Soldotna; two in Kodiak; five in Fairbanks and two at the North Pole; 13 in Palmer and 19 in Wasilla; one in Nome; three in Utqiagvik; one in Kotzebue; one in Juneau; one at Bethel; and one in an unidentified community.
Among communities with less than 1,000 unnamed people to protect privacy, there was one case in the Rio Copper area; one in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; and one in the Bethel Census Area.
There have been two cases reported in non-residents in Anchorage.
Although people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
It is not clear how many of the people who tested positive for the virus had symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about a third of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic.
The positivity rate of the test across the state on Monday was 4.44% over an average of 7 days. Health experts say that anything above 5% can indicate inadequate testing and potentially widespread transmission in the community. The state peaked at more than 9% test positivity in mid-November.