Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 143 cases reported Tuesday, no new deaths

Alaska on Tuesday reported 143 new cases of COVID-19, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard.

No new deaths were reported. In total, 58 Alaskans have died with COVID-19 since the pandemic began here in March.

Tuesday marked the 13th day in a row that Alaska has seen new daily case tallies exceeding 100, and followed a state record set Monday for most resident cases reported in a single day.

Cases are rising most quickly in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Northwest Alaska, officials say, but there’s significant community spread across most of the state, which is currently at its highest alert level.

Alaska’s death rate per capita remains the lowest in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Statewide as of Tuesday, 33 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized while another 12 were awaiting test results.

It wasn’t clear how many of the people involved in the new cases reported Tuesday were showing symptoms of the virus when they tested positive.

Of the 137 new cases of COVID-19 involving residents, there were 59 in Anchorage; 21 in Fairbanks; seven in Wasilla; six in Eagle River; five in Kodiak; four in Kotzebue; three in North Pole; three in Utqiagvik; three in Palmer; two in Kenai; two in Douglas; one in Bethel; one in Seward; one in Soldotna; one in Big Lake; one in Houston; and one in Dillingham.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 not identified to protect confidentiality, there were 14 new cases in the Bethel Census Area, plus one in the Nome Census Area and one in the Northwest Arctic Borough.

Of six nonresident cases reported Monday, there was one in Anchorage, one in Kenai, two in Fairbanks and two in unknown regions of the state.

The state’s test positivity rate as of Tuesday was 4.09% over a seven-day rolling average. The rate reflects the number of positive results divided by total tests performed. Health officials say levels over 5% may indicate communities aren’t doing enough testing.

— Annie Berman