There were no virus-related deaths reported on Sunday. 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.
The cases reported on Sunday fall in line with the trend for smaller numbers of cases reported in recent weeks. This trend occurs after the state recorded an unprecedented number of infections during November and early December. The previous increase in cases has translated into an increase in deaths and hospitalizations across the state. Half of Alaskan virus deaths have been reported in the past six weeks.
Health officials at the time expressed great concern about the hospital’s capacity and staff, prompting Anchorage’s incumbent mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson to impose a one-month restriction to limit the spread of the virus.
On Sunday, 67 Alaskans with COVID-19 were hospitalized and another four were suspected of having the virus. Almost 8% of people in Alaskan hospitals have COVID-19.
The hospital’s capacity has declined across the state in recent weeks, showing no indication of being immediately overwhelmed with patients. In Anchorage, where the sickest patients are often treated, hospitals are still over 75% full. On Sunday, 152 beds out of a total of 618 were available in the municipality. There were 21 beds in the intensive care unit available in 71.
Authorities asked everyone to avoid holiday gatherings this season and limit the celebrations to members of their families. Hospitals are able to cope with the current number of patients, but health officials said this week that hospitals continue to be under pressure and that the case count must continue to drop to reduce that pressure.
Alaska received its first shipments of the vaccine in mid-December and the state is continuing efforts to implement the vaccination. Hospital health workers, emergency personnel and residents and employees in long-term care facilities were prioritized to receive the first doses.
Of the 308 infections reported on Sunday in Alaskan residents, 90 were in Anchorage, eight in Chugiak and seven in Eagle River; three were in Homer, three in Kenai, one in Nikiski, two in Seward, nine in Soldotna and two in Sterling; six were in Kodiak; 41 were at Fairbanks and 11 at the North Pole; two were at Delta Junction; four were on Big Lake, one on Meadow Lakes, 28 on Palmer and 44 on Wasilla; one was in Nome; two were in Utqiagvik; two were at Juneau; one was in Skagway; two were in Unalaska; 20 were at Bethel; and one was in Chevak.
Among communities with less than 1,000 unnamed people to protect privacy, there was a case in the northern part of the Kenai Peninsula neighborhood; four at Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the West Aleutian Census Area; 10 in the Bethel Census Area; and one in the Kusilvak census area.
There have been 12 cases reported in non-residents, including seven in Anchorage, one in Unalaska and four in unspecified parts 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.
The positivity rate for the test across the state on Sunday was 4.5% 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.