Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 178 cases and 2 deaths reported Tuesday

Alaska reported 178 new coronavirus infections and two COVID-related deaths on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

State data showed that the deaths were of residents of Anchorage and Fairbanks. No other information about the deceased was immediately available, nor was it clear whether the deaths had occurred recently. In total, 308 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 Tuesday, 232,523 people — including about 38% of Alaskans eligible for a shot — had received at least their first dose, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard. At least 155,485 people — about 26% 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 Tuesday, there were 40 people with COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020. Another three patients had test results pending.

Of the 173 cases identified among Alaska residents on Tuesday, there were 63 in Anchorage plus one in Chugiak and nine in Eagle River; one in Kenai; one in Seward; one in Kodiak; one in Healy; 10 in Fairbanks; four in Delta Junction; two in Big Lake; nine in Palmer; 38 in Wasilla; one in Willow; one in Utqiagvik; one in Haines; three in Ketchikan; and one in Bethel.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 residents which aren’t named to protect privacy, there were three in the Copper River Census Area; one in the southern Kenai Peninsula Borough; three in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; six in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; and 13 in the Bethel Census Area.

There were also five new nonresident cases identified: one in Anchorage, three in the North Slope Borough 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.

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