Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 97 cases and 1 death reported Wednesday – Anchorage Daily News

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Alaskas average daily case counts are now trending down significantly statewide, though a few regions in the state are still in the highest alert category based on their current per capita rate of infection.

Anyone 12 and older who lives or works in Alaska can now receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Alaskans can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment, and new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

Only Pfizers vaccine is approved for children as young as 12; the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved only for those 18 and older.

By Tuesday, 315,049 people about 53.1% of Alaskans age 16 and older had received at least their first dose of vaccine. At least 275,567 people 47.4% of Alaskans 16 and older were considered fully vaccinated, according to the states vaccine monitoring dashboard, which hadnt yet been updated as of early Wednesday afternoon.

By Wednesday, there were 27 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospitals throughout the state, far below a peak in late 2020.

Of the 95 cases reported Wednesday among Alaska residents, there were 22 in Anchorage, plus one in Chugiak and three in Eagle River; 12 in Ketchikan; nine in Fairbanks; nine in Wasilla; six in Palmer; four in Hooper Bay; two in North Pole; two in Ester; two in Craig; two in Metlakatla; one in Anchor Point; one in Homer; one in Sterling; one in Delta Junction; one in Tok; one in Juneau; and one in Petersburg.

In smaller communities that are not named to protect residents privacy, there were eight in the Chugach Census Area, two in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, two in the Aleutians East Borough and two in the Bethel Census Area.

Two new nonresident cases, one in Anchorage and one in Juneau, were also identified.

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.

[Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the new death reported Wednesday involved a Palmer man in his 60s, not a nonresident in Anchorage. The state health departments data showed an additional Anchorage nonresident death due to the reclassification of a death originally reported to involve an Anchorage resident.]

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Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 97 cases and 1 death reported Wednesday - Anchorage Daily News