Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 348 cases reported Monday, no deaths

The state on Monday reported 348 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, according to the Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Separately, Fairbanks Pioneer Home administrators on Monday confirmed a second coronavirus death at the state-run elder care facility contending with an outbreak that’s grown to over 50 people this month.

Monday’s tally marks the latest in a series of high daily increases topped by a record 526 reported Sunday. Alaska’s new daily cases have hit triple digits for more than a month.

There were 50 people hospitalized with the virus in Alaska as of Monday’s report, a drop over the weekend after that metric hit a new high of 59 on Friday, the most since the pandemic began here in March.

The state’s per capita death rate remains among the lowest in the country. In total, 68 Alaskans have died with COVID-19, according to data reported by the state Monday.

Of the new cases, it wasn’t clear how many patients were showing symptoms of the virus when they tested positive. While people might get tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department only represents one person.

People testing positive in Mat-Su accounted for 80 of the new resident cases of COVID-19 reported Monday, including 59 in Wasilla, as that region undergoes a shift after reporting fairly low numbers through summer and into fall.

Of the 347 new cases reported in residents in Monday, there were 143 in Anchorage plus two in Chugiak and 10 in Eagle River; one in Anchor Point, three in Homer, 13 in Kenai, one in Seward, 13 in Soldotna, and five in Sterling; one in Kodiak; one in Valdez; 22 in Fairbanks and 13 in North Pole; two in Delta Junction; one in Big Lake, 19 in Palmer, 59 in Wasilla, and one in Willow; one in Utqiagvik; one in Kotzebue; eight in Juneau; one in Ketchikan; one in Petersburg; and nine in Chevak.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 not identified to protect confidentiality, the state reported one case on the northern Kenai Peninsula; 10 cases in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area; and two in Bethel Census Area.

There was one new nonresident case reported Monday in Anchorage.

Separately, tribal health authorities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region, where there are numerous large outbreaks, reported 12 cases confirmed Monday that were not reflected in state data, which cover a period that ends at midnight. Five cases were in Bethel residents, two were in Toksook Bay residents, and another five were identified as residents within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. service area.

Of the 347 Alaska residents reported by the state Monday, 163 were male and 184 female, health data shows. Twenty-four were under 10; 44 were between 10 and 19; 52 were in their 20s; 65 were in their 30s; 61 were in their 40s; 41 were in their 50s; 40 were in their 60s; 10 were in their 70s; and 10 were 80 or older.

The state’s testing positivity rate as of Monday was 5.85% over a seven-day rolling average.

-- Zaz Hollander