Although the number of cases and hospitalizations in Alaska remain below what they were during a peak in November and December, most regions of the state are still in the highest alert category, based on the current infection rate per capita.
Health officials continue to encourage Alaska to wear face wraps in public, avoid large gatherings, wash their hands frequently, and be vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent further spread.
Alaska, in March, became the first state in the country to open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older living or working 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 telephone line is equipped with 9: 00-18: 30 on weekdays and 9: 00-16: 30 on weekends.
By Tuesday, 296,631 people – about 48% of Alaskans eligible for a shot – received at least their first dose. At least 243,274 people – about 41 percent of Alaska’s 16-year-olds – were considered fully vaccinated, according to the state’s vaccine monitoring dashboard.
As of Tuesday, there were 39 people with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in hospitals across the state, well below a peak at the end of 2020.
Of the 100 cases reported among residents of Alaska on Tuesday, there were 19 in Anchorage plus one in the Eagle River; 20 in Fairbanks; 19 in Wasilla; 15 in Palmer; seven in the North Pole; three in Anchor Point; two in Soldotna; two in Ketchikan; two at Dillingham; one in Valdez; one in Kenai; one in Kodiak; one in the Great Lake; one in Houston; one in Nome; and one at Bethel.
Among the communities of less than 1,000 people who are not named to protect the privacy of the inhabitants, there was one in the north of the Kenai Peninsula; one in Fairbanks North Star Borough; and one in the Kusilvak census area.
There were seven new cases among non-residents: four in Unalaska; one in Valdez; one in Prudhoe Bay; and one in an unidentified region of the state.
While people could be tested multiple times, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
State data do not specify whether people who tested positive for COVID-19 have symptoms. More than half of the nation’s infections are transmitted from asymptomatic people, according to CDC estimates.