Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 349 new cases, 1 death reported Sunday

Alaska on Sunday reported one death and 349 new cases of COVID-19, according to the Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard.

The death of a Fairbanks woman in her 90s was reported Sunday. In total, 83 Alaskans with the virus have died since the start of the pandemic, and Alaska’s death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country.

A record 80 people were hospitalized with the virus in Alaska as of Sunday, plus 18 people were hospitalized with suspected cases of COVID-19, according to state data. The state has continuously set and broken hospitalization records throughout the last few weeks, as officials warn that increasing case numbers could overwhelm hospitals if the virus continues to spread rapidly. As of Sunday, health officials said 9.3% of patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized.

[Why is Alaska’s COVID-19 death rate among the nation’s lowest, even as cases and hospitalizations surge?]

Sunday’s 349 new cases follow more than a month of triple-digit daily increases, including a record 526 new cases reported in a single day just a week prior.

Of the 347 new resident cases reported by the state Sunday, there were 140 in Anchorage, plus 12 in Eagle River, four in Chugiak and one in Girdwood; two were in Homer, 11 in Kenai, 10 in Soldotna and five in Sterling; four were in Kodiak; one was in Valdez; 30 were in Fairbanks and five were in North Pole; two were in Delta Junction and one in Tok; two were in Big Lake, 13 in Palmer, one in Sutton-Alpine, 48 in Wasilla and three in Willow; five in Utqiagvik; one in Kotzebue; 10 in Juneau; four in Ketchikan; one in Unalaska; seven in Bethel; 10 in Chevak; and two in unknown parts of the state.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 people that are not named to protect privacy, there was one in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area; one in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; one in the Nome Census Area; one in the North Slope Borough; two in the Bethel Census Area; and one in the Kusilvak Census Area.

[New report reveals stark disparities by race, age and gender in Alaska’s COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations]

There were also two nonresident cases reported Sunday that the health department classified as unknown.

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.

Nearly all regions of the state were considered to be in high alert, meaning widespread community transmission is occurring. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region was the hardest hit throughout the last 14 days, with about 119 cases per 100,000 people, the health department said. The rural region has reported a dramatic surge of cases since Oct. 20.

On Sunday, tribal health officials urged residents to take protective measures even if a case hasn’t been identified within their community. Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.'s advice to residents echoed what state health officials have repeatedly encouraged Alaskans to do: avoid gatherings, get tested, engage in frequent handwashing, stay at least 6 feet from others and wear a mask in public.

In Anchorage, case numbers have continued to climb and health officials warned last week that further case surges could lead to business closures. The municipality has the second-highest alert rate, with an infection rate of about 54 people per 100,000, according to the health department. Nearly half of all COVID-19 cases recorded since the pandemic began here in March have been detected in Anchorage residents.

In Anchorage, outbreaks have been identified in numerous shared living spaces, including cases identified during the last week at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and Alaska Military Youth Academy.

The state’s testing positivity rate continued to rise and on Sunday reached 7.3% over a seven-day rolling average. A positivity rate over 5% can indicate high community transmission and not enough testing, health officials have said.

— Tess Williams