No new deaths were reported on Sunday. In total, 223 Alaskans 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.
On Sunday, 76 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and six others in hospitals were suspected of having the virus.
The state’s daily case counts have dropped significantly in recent weeks, after the state saw an increase in November and early December. Although infections declined, health officials continued to express concern about an increase in cases after the holidays. The alert level across the state is still high.
The vaccines arrived in Alaska in mid-December, and on Friday, 25,058 people received the first dose of the vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel. Healthcare professionals and adults over the age of 65 are now eligible for vaccination, although available hours are limited and expire quickly when the scheduling window opens on Wednesday.
Vaccine appointments are made at covidvax.alaska.gov or by calling 907-646-3322, leaving a message and waiting for the return of an operator.
Of the 251 new cases reported on Sunday in Alaskan residents, 85 were in Anchorage, one in Chugiak and four in Eagle River; one was in Homer, one in Kenai, one in Nikiski, one in Seward, three in Soldotna and two in Sterling; seven were in Kodiak; two were in Córdoba; 25 were in Fairbanks and four at the North Pole; eight were in Palmer, 40 in Wasilla and one in Willow; one was in Kotzebue; two were at Juneau; one was in Ketchikan; one was in Sitka; three were in Unalaska; and 11 were at Bethel.
Among communities with fewer than 1,000 unnamed people to protect privacy, there was one case in the northern Kenai Borough Peninsula and two in the southern portion of the district; two were at Fairbanks North Star Borough; two were in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; 14 were at Borough North Slope; three were in the northwestern arctic quarter; 18 were in the Bethel Census Area; and three were in the Kusilvak census area.
Six cases were reported on Sunday in non-residents, including three in Anchorage, one in Eagle River, one in Wasilla and one case in a location that was still being determined.
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 positivity rate for the test across the state on Sunday was 4.49% over an average of seven days. Health officials say anything above 5% can indicate inadequate testing and broad transmission in the community. The state reached a peak of positivity of more than 9% in November.