Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 143 new cases and no deaths reported on Friday

Alaska on Friday reported 143 coronavirus infections and no new deaths linked to COVID-19, according to data from the Department of Health and Social Services.

A slight increase in the daily case rate in recent weeks has somewhat plateaued, state health officials said this week. However, most regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection.

Health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to wear face coverings in public, avoid large gatherings, wash their hands frequently and get vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent further spread.

In total, 329 Alaskans and five nonresidents with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state last spring. Alaska’s death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country.

Alaska in March 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 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 Friday, 302,290 people — about 49% of Alaskans eligible for a shot — had received at least their first dose. At least 251,843 people — about 42% of Alaskans 16 and older — were considered fully vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard.

[Vaccine hesitancy threatens Alaska pandemic recovery even as supplies ramp up, health officials say]

By Friday, there were 47 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020.

Of the 139 cases reported among Alaska residents on Friday, there were 38 in Anchorage, plus five in Chugiak and five in Eagle River; three in Kenai; four in Soldotna; one in Healy; 24 in Fairbanks plus seven in North Pole and one in Salcha; one in Big Lake; 11 in Palmer; 22 in Wasilla; two in Juneau; one in Sitka; one in Unalaska; and three in Bethel.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 people that aren’t named to protect residents’ privacy, there was one in the southern Kenai Peninsula Borough; one in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; one in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough; three in the Bethel Census Area; and three in the Kusilvak Census Area.

There were also four new cases among nonresidents: one in Anchorage, and three in Fairbanks.

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.

Note: The state no longer updates its coronavirus dashboard over the weekend, and instead includes those numbers in Monday’s report.

— Annie Berman