State data showed that the deaths were from residents of Anchorage and Fairbanks. No other information about the deceased was immediately available, nor was it clear whether the deaths occurred recently. In total, 308 Alaskans and four non-residents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic hit the state last spring. Alaska’s per capita mortality rate is still among the lowest in the country, but the size of the state and the vulnerable health system complicate national comparisons.
This month, Alaska became the first state in the country to open vaccine eligibility to anyone aged 16 and over who lives or works in the state. You can now visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to register for a vaccination appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The telephone line is open from 9 am to 6:30 pm during the week and from 9 am to 4:30 pm on weekends.
On Tuesday, 232,523 people – including about 38% of Alaskans eligible for an injection – received at least the first dose, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel. At least 155,485 people – about 26% of Alaskans aged 16 and over – were considered fully vaccinated.
Although Alaska case and hospital counts remain well below what they were during the peak in November and December, the overall decline in cases has slowed in recent weeks, and five regions of the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current rate of infection rate per capita.
Public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to monitor personal virus mitigation efforts, such as washing their hands, wearing masks, socializing and testing if they are symptomatic or exposed to someone with COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, there were 40 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, well below the peak in late 2020. Three other patients had pending test results.
Of the 173 cases identified among Alaskan residents on Tuesday, there were 63 in Anchorage, one more in Chugiak and nine in Eagle River; one in Kenai; one at Seward; one in Kodiak; one in Healy; 10 in Fairbanks; four at Delta Junction; two on Big Lake; nine in Palmer; 38 in Wasilla; one in Willow; one in Utqiagvik; one in Haines; three in Ketchikan; and one at Bethel.
Among communities with fewer than 1,000 residents who were not appointed to protect privacy, there were three in the Copper River Census Area; one in the south of the Kenai Borough Peninsula; three at Fairbanks North Star Borough; six in the Matanuska-Susitna neighborhood; and 13 in the Bethel Census Area.
Five new non-resident cases have also been identified: one in Anchorage, three in the North Slope Borough and one 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.
The average percentage of positive daily tests in the last week was 2.43%.