Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 357 cases and no deaths reported Monday

Alaska reported 357 new coronavirus infections and no COVID-related deaths from Saturday to Monday, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. The state no longer updates its coronavirus dashboard on weekends, and instead includes that data in Monday’s report.

In total, 306 Alaskans and four nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring. Alaska’s death rate per capita is still among the lowest in the country, but the state’s size and vulnerable health care system complicate national comparisons.

Alaska this month became the first state in the country to open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older who lives or works in the state. You can now visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

By Monday, 223,367 people — about 37% of Alaskans eligible for a shot — had received at least their first dose, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. At least 151,362 people — about 25% of Alaskans 16 and older — were considered fully vaccinated.

[What can you do after getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s how Alaska’s top public health experts are adjusting.]

Although case counts and hospitalizations in Alaska remain far below what they were during the peak in November and December, the overall decline in cases has slowed in recent weeks, and five regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection.

Public health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to keep up with personal virus mitigation efforts like hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing and getting tested if symptomatic or exposed to someone with COVID-19.

By Monday, there were 40 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020 but trending slightly up compared to recent weeks. Another four patients had test results pending.

Of the 349 cases identified among Alaska residents since Friday, there were 132 in Anchorage, 68 in Wasilla, 26 in Fairbanks, 18 in Palmer, 15 in Eagle River, 10 in Delta Junction, seven in Chugiak, six in Valdez, four in North Pole, three in Soldotna, two in Kodiak, two in Nikiski, two in Nome, two in Utqiagvik, one in Big Lake, one in Cordova, one in Girdwood, one in Juneau, one in Kenai, one in Ketchikan, one in Petersburg and one in Unalaska.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 residents which aren’t named to protect privacy, there were 26 in the Bethel Census Area, eight in Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula area, four in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, two in the Kusilvak Census Area, two in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, one in the Nome Census Area, one in the Northwest Arctic Borough and one in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.

There were also eight new nonresident cases identified: seven in Anchorage and one in Prudhoe Bay.

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

The state’s data doesn’t specify whether people testing positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the nation’s infections are transmitted from asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.

The average percentage of daily positive tests over the last week was 2.43%.

— Annie Berman