Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 3 deaths and 359 new cases reported Wednesday

Alaska on Wednesday reported 359 new coronavirus infections and three deaths associated with COVID-19, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

The deaths involved three Anchorage residents: a woman in her 70s, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s, the state health department said.

In total, 196 Alaskans and one nonresident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska’s overall death rate per capita is among the lowest in the country, but officials say the state’s vast geography and vulnerable health care system make it difficult to compare with other states.

Nearly 60% of the Alaskans who have died with the coronavirus were Anchorage residents.

After Alaska recorded exceedingly high case counts through November and the early part of December, infections and hospitalizations in recent days appear to be leveling off statewide, state officials have said.

However, the number of infections reported daily remains higher than reports through the spring, summer and early fall, and hospital capacity and staffing issues remain a concern, health officials say.

“We don’t want this decrease in the case counts to give people a false sense of protection,” said Joe McLaughlin, an epidemiologist with the state health department, during a public call on Wednesday. “We’re still seeing lots and lots of cases reported every day.”

While health officials attribute part of the drop in cases to Anchorage’s December “hunker down” order, Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said during the same call that the actions by people outside the state’s largest city have helped, too.

“I think it’s important to understand when we’re looking at these statewide trends that what happened in Anchorage is a part of it, but we also saw many other communities — as well as many Alaskans without emergency orders — choosing to reduce their interactions, wear more masks, and interact differently,” she said. “It takes all of us.”

Officials added that in recent days, they have seen a drop in coronavirus testing statewide.

Jayme Parker, who helps run the state’s public health labs, said she’s not sure if it has to do with COVID-19 fatigue — “You know, people just tired of all the testing” — or if it could be something else.

“It is really hard for me to put my finger on why all providers are decreasing the numbers of the specimens that we’re receiving at the lab,” she said.

The health department continues to encourage Alaskans to get tested if they have any coronavirus symptoms.

By Wednesday, there were 106 people with COVID-19 in Alaska hospitals, including 15 who were on ventilators, and another five people in the hospital with suspected cases. Statewide, 56 intensive care unit beds were available as of Wednesday.

Alaska has begun a statewide vaccination effort, last week receiving more than 35,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and on Monday, 26,800 Moderna vaccine doses arrived.

By Wednesday morning, the state’s vaccine webpage showed that 8,918 people in the state had been vaccinated so far. That tracker shows the number of vaccines administered slightly behind real time.

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Hundreds of health care workers, emergency personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff are currently eligible for vaccination, but health officials say the general public likely won’t have access until the spring or summer.

Health officials continue to recommend basic disease prevention practices, including wearing a mask, social distancing and hand washing.

Of the 355 cases reported among Alaska residents Wednesday, there were 118 in Anchorage plus 33 in Eagle River, one in Chugiak and two in Girdwood; 40 in Palmer; 33 in Fairbanks; 25 in Wasilla; 20 in Kodiak; 14 in Bethel; nine in North Pole; eight in Tok; seven in Soldotna; seven in Utqiagvik; four in Sitka; three in Unalaska; two in Homer; two in Kenai; two in Delta Junction; one in Seward; one in Sterling; one in Cordova; one in Valdez; one in Big Lake; one in Juneau; one in Ketchikan; and one in Craig.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 people not named to protect privacy, there were four resident cases in the Bethel Census Area; three in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough; two in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area; two in the Northwest Arctic Borough; two in the Dillingham Census Area; one in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area; one in the North Slope Borough; one in the Aleutians West Census Area; and one in the Kusilvak Census Area.

There were also four cases among nonresidents in Alaska, including two in Juneau, one in Unalaska and one in an unidentified region of the state.

While people might get tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.

It is not clear how many of the people who tested positive for the virus were showing symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about a third of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic.

The statewide test positivity rate as of Wednesday was 4.91% over a seven-day average. Health experts say anything above 5% can indicate inadequate testing and potentially widespread community transmission. The state reached a peak of over 9% test positivity in mid-November.