The deaths, all resulting from revisions to death certificates in recent months, involved a woman from Soldotna and a man and woman from the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. They were all 80 or older, state health officials say.
These three cases mark the first time that Alaska is counting probable deaths based on the clinical and epidemiological criteria COVID-19, rather than a laboratory result, officials said in a statement on Monday. “Counted deaths include deaths in which the medical professional describes COVID-19 as part of the logical sequence of the causes that led to the death.”
This practice puts the state in line with the standards of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, officials say.
In total, 217 Alaskans and a non-resident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic hit the state 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 comparison with other states difficult.
The daily case count in the state dropped from high levels in November and early December, when the number of people dying from the virus also increased. The number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations has increased, encouraging Anchorage to move to a modified one-month lowering phase during December, after which fewer infections have been reported.
The number of hospitalizations related to the virus fell from high levels in early December. Seventy-five people with COVID-19 were in the hospital on Monday and another 14 people in the hospital were suspected of having the virus, the health department said.
Of the 227 new infections reported on Monday in Alaskan residents, there were 81 in Anchorage, two more in Chugiak, 11 in Eagle River and one in Girdwood; two at Anchor Point, three at Homer, three at Kenai, one at Soldotna and six at Sterling; two in Kodiak; 14 in Fairbanks and four at the North Pole; one in Big Lake, 13 in Palmer, 30 in Wasilla and one in Willow; one in Nome; one in Haines; one in Petersburg; 17 at Bethel; one in Chevak and one in Hooper Bay.
Among communities with less than 1,000 people not named to protect privacy, there was one in the Copper River area; four in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; one in the Name Census Area; two at North Slope Borough; 10 in the Bethel Census Area; 12 in the Kusilvak census area.
There were five cases of non-residents reported on Monday, including two in Anchorage and three in people with the site under investigation.
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 statewide positive test rate on Monday was 5.19% 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.