Alaska reported three new deaths Monday related to COVID-19 and 589 new cases.
The number of cases has increased in the past month, frequently setting daily records. Health officials expect a sharp rise in infections in the weeks following the holiday, when many Americans have gathered or traveled. Climbing case statistics have led to an increase in both hospital admissions and deaths.
Two Anchorage residents and a Seward resident were reported dead on Monday. Other details of the death were not immediately available. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 dashboard, a total of 145 Alaskans and one uninsured with COVID-19 have died since the outbreak began in March. Alaska’s overall per capita mortality rate is the lowest in the country, but state officials say it is difficult to compare Alaska with other states because of its vast geography and poor health care system.
As of Monday, 151 people with COVID-19 had been hospitalized and another 15 were suspected to be infected with the virus in hospitals. Twenty-four people with COVID-19 across the state were on ventilators and 45 intensive care unit beds were available. COVID-19 patients enroll about 15% of patients in hospitals across the state.
In Anchorage, where most sick patients end up, there were 18 intensive care unit beds open, with only 10 beds available since Sunday. More than 75% of non-intensive inpatient beds were filled in the city on Monday, with 105 of the 523 available.
State health officials have repeatedly expressed concern that even limited hospital staff in Alaska could cause trouble problems as the virus spreads.
Concerns over staffing and hospital capacity led Anchorage Acting Mayor Aust Stein Quinn-Davidson to impose the month-long “Hunker Down” that began last week. Emergency orders, bars and bans restaurants, restricting them to withdrawals or deliveries.
Of the 557 cases reported to Alaskan residents on Monday, 222 were in Anchorage, 12 in Chugiak and 42 in the Eagle River; Four were in Homer, 10 in Kenai, two in Nikiski, six in Soldotna and three in Sterling; 38 were in Kodak; Two were in Valdez; 35 were at Fairbank and seven at the North Pole; Five were at Delta Junction; There were two large lakes, 26 in Palmer, 87 in Wasila and one in Willow; Two were in Nome; Three were in Utkiagvik; One was in Haynes, two were in Junau; One was in Sitaka; One was in Rangel; And 16 were at Bethel. One case was classified as unknown by the state.
Among the less than 1,000 unregistered communities for privacy protection, there are one in the northern part of the Kenai Peninsula borough and three in the Valdez-Cordova census area; One in the Yukon-Koyukuk census area; One of the metanuska-susitna boroughs; One in the Prince Wa f Wales-Hyder Census Area; In one Aleutians East borough, seven in the Bethel census area and 11 in the Kusilvak census area.
On Monday, 32 nonresidents tested positive for COVID-19 in Alaska, including the following: one in Anchorage, one in Fairbank, one in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, one in Wasila, one in Juneau, and 20 in Unalaska. Is.
While people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state health department represents only one person.
It is not clear how many people tested positive for the virus on Monday when they were showing symptoms when they were tested. U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention Kendra, about one-third of people with coronavirus infection are asymptomatic.
State health officials have told Alaska to avoid indoor gatherings with members of the household and report that most Alaskans who are infected with the virus get it from a friend, family member or colleague.
The last seven days had a test positivity rate of 6.5%. Health officials have warned that a positive rate above 5% indicates a broader community transition.
The CDC reports that as of Monday, more than 0,000 Americans had died from COVID-19. There have been more than 14 million infections.
