Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 117 new cases, no new deaths

The state of Alaska on Monday reported 117 new coronavirus infections, many of them in Anchorage, according to the Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard.

No new deaths were reported Monday. The state reported four deaths Sunday and six previously unreported deaths on Friday; four of those were described as recent, and two were past deaths determined to be associated with COVID-19 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A total of 56 Alaskans with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska’s death rate remains among the lowest in the country.

Active cases of COVID-19 among Alaska residents fell from 4,252 on Sunday to 4,148 cases reported Monday. There were also 574 total active cases among nonresidents.

By Monday, there were 32 people currently hospitalized who have COVID-19, the health department reported. Another 17 people who were hospitalized were suspected to have COVID-19 and were awaiting results.

Separately, Anchorage municipal officials updated their weekly reporting on coronavirus cases within the city’s homeless shelters and supportive housing locations near shelters. As of Sunday, there were a total of 248 cases, 20 new cases since the prior week. One person has died and 11 have required hospitalization, one additional person compared to the prior week.

Of the new cases, it wasn’t clear how many patients were showing symptoms of the virus when they tested positive.

Of the 115 new cases of COVID-19 involving residents, 84 were in Anchorage, including three in Eagle River, three in Chugiak, and one in Girdwood; 12 were in Fairbanks and three were in North Pole; one was in Meadow Lakes and two were in Wasilla; one in Utqiagvik; one in Kotzebue; two in Juneau; two in Sitka; three in Bethel; and one in Hooper Bay.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 not identified to protect confidentiality, there was one in the Denali Borough, and two in the Nome Census Area.

There were two nonresident cases, both in Anchorage, reported on Monday.

The state’s testing positivity rate as of Monday was 2.93% over a seven-day rolling average, the highest level since April, early in the pandemic. The rate can include multiple tests on the same person.

Some regions rose above that level: Fairbanks North Star Borough on Monday was at 6.75% over a seven-day rolling average. Denali Borough was at 6.67%. Anchorage was at 3.53%.

Positivity rate is considered an important indicator of whether a community or state is doing enough testing to find coronavirus infections and stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization has said countries with broad testing should have a positivity rate that stays below 5% for 14 days.