Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 225 cases and no deaths reported over the weekend – Anchorage Daily News

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The state no longer updates its coronavirus data dashboard over the weekend, and instead includes that data in Mondays report.

Alaskas average daily case counts are trending down statewide, with some pockets of higher case levels. A surge of coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the Fairbanks region continues to strain hospital capacity there.

Many regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection, and 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.

By Monday, there were 43 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020 but up compared to recent weeks.

Also by Monday, 337,630 people about 55% of all Alaskans eligible for a shot had received at least their first dose. At least 288,320 people about 48% of Alaskans 16 and older were considered fully vaccinated, according to the states vaccine monitoring dashboard, which hadnt been updated since Friday.

Alaska in January led the country in per capita vaccinations, but has now fallen to 28th place among all 50 states, territories, and Washington, D.C., according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccination rates in the state have varied by region and by age. Over 80% of Alaskans 65 and older have received a shot, and 10 census areas or boroughs now have vaccination rates among their eligible population that are above 70%. Fairbanks, the North Slope and the Mat-Su have the lowest vaccination rates 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.

Of the 225 cases reported over the weekend in Alaska residents, there were 72 in Anchorage, 39 in Wasilla, 30 in Fairbanks, 16 in Ketchikan, 14 in Palmer, 13 in North Pole, 10 in Juneau, six in Eagle River, three in Chugiak, three in Sitka, three in Soldotna, two in Girdwood, two in Houston, two in Kenai, two in Kodiak, and one each in the Aleutians East Borough, Healy, Homer, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Nome, Seward, the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, and Wrangell.

Seven new nonresident cases were identified: two in Anchorage: two in Prudhoe Bay, and three in unidentified regions of the state.

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

The states data doesnt specify whether people testing positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the nations infections are transmitted from asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.

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Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 225 cases and no deaths reported over the weekend - Anchorage Daily News