State data showed that the deaths were from residents of Anchorage and Sterling.
There were 102 people with COVID-19 in Alaskan hospitals, including 14 who were on ventilators and three others in hospitals with suspected cases. Across the state, 55 beds in the intensive care unit were available.
Alaska had record cases in November and early December, but infections and hospitalizations in the past few days appear to be stabilizing, officials said.
However, the number of infections reported daily remains higher than in spring, summer and early fall, and hospital capacity and staffing issues remain a concern, health officials say.
Although authorities attribute part of the drop in cases to Anchorage’s December order to “crouch,” Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s medical chief, said during the same call that the actions of people outside the state’s largest city also helped.
Authorities added that in the past few days, they have seen a drop in coronavirus testing across the state and are unsure why.
The state health department continues to encourage Alaskans to get tested if they experience symptoms of the coronavirus and to avoid meetings during the holidays.
As of Thursday morning, the state’s vaccine page showed that 10,770 people in the state had received the Pfizer vaccine and 232 had received injections from Moderna. This tracker shows the number of vaccines administered a little behind real time.
In total, 198 Alaskans and a non-resident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic started here in March. Alaska’s per capita death rate is among the lowest in the country, but officials say the state’s vast geography and vulnerable health system make comparison difficult with other states.
Of the 270 cases reported among Alaskan residents on Thursday, there were 100 in Anchorage, three more in Chugiak and six in Eagle River; four in Homer; seven in Kenai; one in Nikiski; seven in Soldotna; two in Sterling; 13 in Kodiak; 16 in Fairbanks plus nine at the North Pole; one in Houston; two at Delta Junction; 18 in Palmer; 30 in Wasilla; one in Willow; two in Nome; seven in Utqiagvik; 12 at Juneau; three in Sitka; one in Skagway; one in Unalaska; and six at Bethel.
Among communities with less than 1,000 unnamed people to protect privacy, there were two cases in the northern Kenai Borough Peninsula; six in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area; six at Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; one in the Matanuska-Susitna neighborhood; one at North Slope Borough; one in the West Aleutian Census Area.
There were also nine cases among non-Alaska residents, including three in Anchorage, two in Fairbanks, three in Unalaska 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.
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.
Note: There will be no update of coronavirus statistics on Christmas Day, according to the state panel.