Alaska no longer top state for new COVID-19 case rate; 1,290 new cases reported in past 7 days

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The state of Alaska on Wednesday released its weekly COVID-19 update and is no longer the state with the highest rate of new cases.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 1,290 new cases from April 6-12. Of those, 16 were nonresident cases. Cases over the last seven days are down 11% when compared to the week of March 30-April 5.

The state recently began only reporting new case counts once a week on Wednesdays.

The state health department also reported seven additional COVID-19-related deaths of Alaska residents, bringing the total number of residents who have died with the virus to 1,202. Additionally, 33 nonresidents have died with COVID-19 in Alaska. The state only reports new deaths on Wednesdays.

The seven people who died ranged in age from their 40s to 80 or older, according to the health department. They were an Anchorage woman 80 or older, two Anchorage men in their 70s, an Anchorage man in his 40s, a Cordova man in his 70s, a Palmer man in his 60s and a male resident of the southern Kenai Peninsula 80 or older.

Alaska sits sixth in the nationwide ranking for community transmission among states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a list that Alaska once led. The state has a seven-day case rate of 126.3 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from a case rate of 181.8 last Wednesday, which at the time was the highest in the nation among states.

There are currently 26 people in Alaska hospitalized with COVID-19. Among all people hospitalized, 2.1% of people are hospitalized with COVID-19, and there are two people hospitalized that currently require a ventilator. Across the state, there are 36 adult intensive care unit beds available, with two available in Anchorage.

Vaccine rates remain largely stagnant, with 71.7% of residents, military members and veterans having received at least one vaccination dose and 64.6% completing their primary immunization series. Booster shots have been administered to 27.8% of residents.

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

Correction: This article has been updated to correct that the state has reported an additional seven COVID-19-related deaths.

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