Alaska reports 318 new COVID-19 cases and no deaths Friday
Dec. 4—Alaska on Friday reported 318 COVID-19 cases and no deaths as hospitalizations held steady.
By the end of the week, the state was reporting 71 patients with active cases of the virus hospitalized statewide. About 7% of all hospital patients in the state are COVID-positive. Those numbers don't include some people recovering from the disease who need continued care.
Current hospitalization numbers represent a significant decrease from the high of more than 200 people hospitalized on average in September and October.
This week, some Alaska hospitals — including the state's largest, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage — confirmed that as a result of more manageable patient counts, crisis standards of care were no longer active at their facilities.
The state's test positivity rate, which reflects the number of positive tests out of the total performed, was 5.26% as of Friday — just over the 5% threshold that can indicate high transmission and not enough testing, epidemiologists say.
[Anchorage's busiest COVID-19 testing site, at Loussac Library, closes with no notice as city's provider changes]
By Friday, Alaska ranked 21st among states for its seven-day COVID-19 case rate, with 297.2 cases per 100,000 people.
Alaska health officials continue to monitor for the new omicron variant of the coronavirus that's raising questions and concerns around the world, even as the state reported a continued decrease in both hospitalizations and new cases. At least 10 cases of the new variant has been detected in six U.S. states, but not in Alaska.
[Omicron covid variant three times more likely to cause reinfection than delta, South Africa study says]
Health officials have called vaccination the best tool Alaskans have to prevent future surges. About 61% of Alaskans 5 and older have received one dose of the shot while 56% are considered fully vaccinated. Alaska currently ranks in the bottom third of the nation — at 32nd — for its vaccination rate.
Measured over the course of the pandemic, Alaska's death rate is the sixth lowest in the nation, according to data from the CDC. Alaska's number of deaths per 100,000 over the past week was in the middle of the pack, at 21st lowest.
The state health department said that beginning next week, it would be reporting daily virus numbers three days a week; on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
