Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 135 cases and 2 deaths reported Thursday and Friday

Alaska on Friday reported 135 new coronavirus infections identified over the last two days and two COVID-19-related deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services.

One of the deaths, involving an Anchorage woman in her 40s, occurred recently. The other involved a Metlakatla man who was in his 80s or older. His death was identified through a standard review of death certificates.

In total, 372 Alaskans and seven 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, though the state’s size, health care system and other factors complicate national comparisons.

Case counts in Alaska have been rising over the past three weeks — including the notable increase reported Friday — after the state moved back up to the intermediate alert level on Wednesday. Health officials continue to encourage Alaskans to get vaccinated against the virus, noting that the vaccines have been shown to be highly effective at preventing severe illness from the virus, including the more contagious variants.

The recent rise in cases can likely be attributed in part to the highly contagious delta variant first identified in India in December and in Alaska in May, health officials said. Alaska’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Joe McLaughlin, said this week that he predicted the delta variant will soon become the dominant coronavirus strain in the state.

[The COVID-19 delta variant is causing worry among health experts worldwide. Here’s the latest on Alaska’s outlook.]

By Friday, roughly 56% of the state’s population age 12 and older had received at least their first dose of the vaccine while 51% of all residents 12 and older were considered fully vaccinated. Among all states, Alaska ranked No. 28 in the country for most vaccinated residents per capita.

There were 28 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 hospitalized around the state, including four who were on ventilators.

Of the 118 newly reported resident cases, there were 71 in Anchorage, 12 in Sitka, eight in Cordova, three in Fairbanks, two in Anchor Point, two in Ketchikan, two in Soldotna and one each in Bethel, Eagle River, Homer, Hooper Bay, Kodiak, Palmer, Petersburg, Tok, Unalaska and Wasilla.

Among smaller communities, there were four in the Bethel Census Area, two in the Kusilvak Census Area and one each in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough and the Prince of Wales and Hyder Census Area.

There were also 17 new cases reported among nonresidents: six in Anchorage, three in Wasilla, two in Bethel and one each in Cordova, Petersburg, Sitka and Soldotna, along with two in unidentified regions of the state.

Of all the coronavirus tests completed in the state over the last week, 2.43% came back positive.

Note: The health department now updates its coronavirus dashboard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays excluding holidays.

— Annie Berman