Alaska reports more than 4,400 COVID-19 cases over the weekend, no deaths

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Close to 4,500 new novel coronavirus infections were reported in Alaska over the weekend, representing a small dip in an otherwise record-breaking surge.

Of the new cases reported for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 4,347 were among Alaska residents — an average of 1,449 per day — while 100 were considered nonresident cases. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 2,197 new resident cases Friday, 1,511 on Saturday and 639 on Sunday, the first daily count in the triple-digit range since Jan. 9 of this year.

State case data shows a 3% decrease in the state’s number of new cases over the last week compared to the week before, but cases are still higher than they were during the previous delta variant surge.

Alaska still leads all U.S. states in the rate of new COVID-19 cases, with only the U.S. territories Palau and Guam ahead. Alaska has seen a seven-day case rate of 2,273.1 cases per 100,000 people, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The next-highest state, Kentucky, has a case rate of 1,893.7.

While case numbers appear to be plateauing, hospitalizations continue to rise. The department reported that 154 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, about on par with the 156 people reported Friday. Among all hospitalizations in the state, 16.3% are COVID-related.

In the fight against the virus, 61.7% of eligible Alaskans plus veterans and members of the military are fully vaccinated, with 69.1% having received at least one dose. Around 25.5% have also gotten a booster dose.

The state did not report any additional COVID-19-related deaths on Monday. Since the pandemic began in Alaska, the state health department has recorded a total of 1,052 Alaska resident deaths and 33 nonresident deaths that have been tied to the virus.

Of the 4,447 COVID-19 cases reported over the last three days, 4,347 of them were identified among Alaska residents of the following communities:

Of the 100 additional nonresident COVID-19 cases reported over the weekend, 27 of them are in Anchorage, 16 are in the Aleutians East Borough and 13 are in Fairbanks.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.

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