The most recent case count is part of an Alaskan trend of declining infections in the past two months, after a peak in November and early December that hampered the hospital’s capacity. Alaska hospitalizations are now less than a quarter of what they were during the peak in November and December.
On Tuesday, there were 35 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, including five that were on fans. Three more patients were considered to have the virus.
The COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Alaska in mid-December. As of Tuesday, 144,419 people – nearly 20% of Alaska’s total population – had received at least their first vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel. This is well above the national average of 13.3%.
Among Alaskans aged 16 and over, 26% received at least one dose of the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use in people aged 16 and over, and Moderna has been approved for use in people aged 18 and over. At least 89,147 people received both doses of the vaccine. Alaska currently vaccinated more residents per capita than any other state, according to a national tracker.
Health professionals and employees of nursing homes and residents were the first people prioritized to receive the vaccine. Alaskans over 65 became eligible in early January, and the state further expanded the eligibility criteria this month to include educators, people aged 50 and over with a high-risk medical condition, essential frontline workers aged 50 and over and people living or working together in settings such as shelters and prisons.
Those eligible to receive the vaccine can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to apply and confirm eligibility. The telephone line is open from 9 am to 6:30 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 4:30 pm on weekends.
Despite the lower case numbers, most Alaskan regions are still in the highest alert category based on the current rate of infection per capita, and public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to monitor personal efforts to virus mitigation, such as washing hands and masks. social wear and detachment. A highly contagious variant of the virus arrived in Alaska last month.
Of the 56 cases reported among Alaskan residents on Tuesday, there were 18 in Anchorage and one more in Eagle River; one in Homer; three in Kenai; one in Sterling; one in Kodiak; four in Fairbanks; one at the North Pole; four in Palmer; 13 in Wasilla; one in Juneau; four in Petersburg; one in Sitka; one in Unalaska; and two at Dillingham.
Two cases have also been identified among non-residents in Unalaska.
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.