Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 3 deaths and 328 new infections reported Thursday

Alaska on Thursday reported 328 new COVID-19 infections and three coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The deaths, which occurred recently, involved three women in their 50s: one from Anchorage, one from the Bethel Census Area and one from the Kusilvak Census Area, the state health department said.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus fell slightly from Wednesday to Thursday from 86 to 84 people sick enough to require ICU care statewide. Another five hospitalized people were awaiting test results.

In total, 222 Alaskans and one nonresident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic reached the state in March. Alaska’s death rate per capita is among the lowest in the country, though the state’s size and vulnerable health care system complicate national comparisons.

Starting this week, Alaska began adding in probable deaths of people with the virus as determined by medical providers in addition to those established by a lab result.

The state’s daily case counts have fallen since a surge that lasted through November and into early December. Anchorage officials ordered a monthlong modified hunker down phase during December, after which fewer infections were reported. But health officials continue to express concern about a post-holiday spike in new cases.

The state is continuing its early rollout of COVID-19 vaccine. At least 20,775 people in Alaska have received a dose of vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine dashboard, which was last updated on Wednesday. Health care workers and adults 65 and older are now able to make appointments for a vaccination, though appointments slots are limited and filled quickly on Wednesday when they first became available to older Alaskans.

State health officials are urging seniors to check back regularly for new slots to become available, and promised a series of large-scale vaccination clinics expected sometime this month. Those with vaccine questions can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322.

Of the 324 new infections reported Thursday among Alaska residents, there were 142 in Anchorage plus one in Chugiak, six in Eagle River and two in Girdwood; 36 in Wasilla; 29 in Fairbanks; 24 in Palmer; 11 in North Pole; 10 in Bethel; six in Kodiak; three in Soldotna; two in Sterling; two in Petersburg; two in Kenai; one in Seward; one in Homer; one in Big Lake; one in Willow; one in Ketchikan; one in Unalaska; and one in Hooper Bay.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 people not named to protect privacy, there were 30 in the Northwest Arctic Borough; nine in the Kusilvak Census Area; four in the Valdez Cordova Census Area; two in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area; two in the Dillingham Census Area; one in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough; one in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; one in the North Slope Borough; and one in the Bethel Census Area.

There were four cases among nonresidents reported Thursday: two in Anchorage, one in the Northwest Arctic 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 statewide test positivity rate as of Thursday was 4.59% over a seven-day average. Health officials say anything above 5% can indicate inadequate testing and widespread community transmission. The state peaked at over 9% positivity in November.

— Annie Berman