Generally, the most recent daily count continues a trend in Alaska of declining infections in the past three months. Hospitalizations are now well below what they were during a peak in November and December, which hampered the hospital’s capacity.
The new death involved a 70-year-old man who worked in the seafood industry in Aleutians East Borough, according to the health department.
As of Wednesday, there were 23 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the state. Another three patients had outstanding test results.
The COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Alaska in mid-December. On Wednesday, 158,680 people – about 21.7% of Alaska’s total population – received at least their first vaccine injection, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring panel. This is above the national average of 15.6%.
Among Alaskans aged 16 and over, 28% 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 105,085 people received both doses of the vaccine. Alaska currently vaccinated more residents per capita than any other state, according to a national tracker.
On Wednesday, the state announced that essential workers and people with potentially high-risk health conditions aged 16 and over, as well as people living in communities without water or sewage systems, in multi-generational homes, or aged 55 or more, they are also eligible for the vaccine.
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 eligibility criteria in February to include educators, people aged 50 and over with a high-risk medical condition, essential frontline workers aged 50 and over and people who live or work in congregating environments such as shelters and prisons.
Last week, officials said people who help people aged 65 and over to get vaccinated are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
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 during the week and from 9 am to 4:30 pm on weekends.
In Anchorage, Alaska residents age 40 and older can be vaccinated through the Southcentral Foundation, the health organization said on Monday.
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 hand washing, masks. social wear and tear. A highly contagious variant of the virus in the UK arrived in Alaska in December, while a separate variant originating in Brazil was found in the state last month. Scientists in Alaska last week announced the discovery of 10 cases of a new strain of coronavirus discovered for the first time in California.
Of the 173 cases identified in Alaskan residents, there were 47 in Anchorage, three more in Chugiak, three in Eagle River and one in Girdwood; two in Córdoba; three in Homer; one in Kenai; one in Soldotna; 18 in Fairbanks; two at the North Pole; two at Delta Junction; one on Big Lake; 15 in Palmer; one in Sutton-Alpine; 35 in Wasilla; one in Willow; five in Juneau; 13 in Petersburg; one in Metlakatla; one in Sitka; two at Bethel; and one in Dillingham.
Among communities under 1,000 unnamed to protect individuals’ privacy, there were two in the northern Kenai Borough Peninsula, nine in the Bethel census area and one in the Kusilvak census area.
There were also 16 new cases of non-residents, 14 of them in Unalaska, including 13 among workers in the seafood industry. There was one case of a non-resident reported in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area and one in Anchorage.
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.
[Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 14 new nonresident cases were reported in the Aleutians East Borough. Rather, they were identified in Unalaska, within the Aleutians West Census Area.]