DHSS adds 24 deaths, 167 new COVID-19 cases to Alaska dashboard Wednesday

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Department of Health and Social Services is reporting a record of single-day deaths with 24 on Wednesday. State health officials say all but one of those deaths are now being reported after death certificate review.

One of the deaths was reviewed and changed to be classified as a nonresident, bringing the state total of deaths to two nonresidents and 251 residents. Only one of the deaths was recent and was reported as a North Pole resident in her 70s.

There were 23 other deaths added to the dashboard and one removed after death certificate review, DHSS said in a daily case summary.

Of the reviewed deaths, one was a North Pole resident in his 80s, two were female Bethel Census Area residents in their 70s, two were male Wasilla residents in their 60s, one was a Wasilla resident in his 40s, one was a female Palmer resident 80 or older, one was a Palmer resident his 60s, one was an Eagle River resident in his 60s, three were male Anchorage residents 80 or older, two were male Anchorage residents in their 70s, three were female Anchorage residents in their 70s, one was an Anchorage resident in her 60s, one was a Kenai resident in his 70s, one was a Homer resident in her 60s, one was a Kodiak resident in her 60s, one was a Kodiak resident in his 70s and one was a Kodiak Island Borough resident in her 60s.

DHSS is also reporting 167 new COVID-19 cases in residents and nonresidents. Ten of these cases were reported in nonresidents with two in Anchorage, one in Seward, one in Wasilla, one in Unalaska and five in unknown locations. One of the Anchorage cases is employed in the mining industry.

The DHSS dashboard for hospital capacity says at least 1,146 residents alone have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Currently, an additional 55 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, and another two are hospitalized and suspected of having the virus. Nine of these patients are on a ventilator in the state.

A total of 1,420,122 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Alaska since the pandemic began, although that number does not reflect the unique number of individuals who have been tested.

The new COVID-19 cases bring the state total of cases to 52,393 residents and nonresidents.

The state COVID-19 vaccine dashboard states 59,392 first dose and 13,270 second dose vaccinations have been administered.

Resident cases were reported in these communities:

Municipality of Anchorage: 55
Kenai Peninsula Borough: 10
Kodiak Island Borough: 3
Valdez-Cordova Census Area: 1
Fairbanks North Star Borough: 27
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area: 3
Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 34
North Slope Borough: 3
City and Borough of Juneau: 2
Dillingham Census Area: 2
Aleutians West Census Area: 1
Bethel Census Area: 5
Kusilvak Census Area: 11

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with more information from DHSS about new and reviewed COVID-19 deaths, hospital information and COVID-19 testing data.