Alaska reported 654 new COVID-19 cases Sunday as hospitalizations reached a new high and the number of available intensive care unit beds dwindled.
The cases reported Sunday are the second-highest daily number in Alaska since the pandemic began here in March. The state’s record number came just a day before, when officials reported that 745 more Alaskans had contracted the virus. The high case counts over the weekend come after weeks of climbing case numbers and rising death tolls across Alaska.
Since March, 98 Alaskans with COVID-19 died and Alaska’s overall death rate per capita remains among the lowest in the country. One non-resident died in Alaska after testing positive for the virus, health officials said last week.
Hospitalizations reached a new high Sunday, as 118 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized. Another 23 people who were hospitalized were suspected to have COVID-19. Health officials have stressed for weeks that the rising case numbers could overwhelm Alaska’s hospitals. Staffing capacity in hospitals has also been a top concern.
Only 30 adult intensive care unit beds remained open statewide by Sunday.
Across the country, COVID-19 infections are spiking, causing states to impose new mandates in attempt to control the spread and to stop hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the virus “an imminent threat” and sent out an emergency alert last week asking Alaskans to avoid social gatherings, wear masks and wash their hands.
Of the 642 cases reported in Alaska residents, 339 were in Anchorage, six in Chugiak, 30 in Eagle River and two in Girdwood; two were in Anchor Point, seven in Homer, 14 in Kenai, two in Nikiski, two in Seward, 25 in Soldotna and one in Sterling; 12 were in Kodiak; one was in Ester, 58 in Fairbanks, 12 in North Pole and five in Delta Junction; one in Big Lake, seven in Palmer and 32 in Wasilla; two were in Nome; one was in Utqiagvik; two were in Kotzebue; 15 were in Juneau; five were in Ketchikan; two were Metlakatla; 13 were in Sitka; one was in Wragell; five were in Bethel; and one was in Dillingham. The state reported two confirmed cases in unknown locations.
Among communities smaller than 1,000 people that are not named to protect privacy, there were three cases in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough and two in the southern portion of the borough; three were in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area; three were in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area; two were in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; one was in the Nome Census Area; three were in the North Slope Borough; one was in the Aleutians East Borough; 12 were in the Bethel Census Area; four were in the combined Bristol Bay and Lake and Peninsula boroughs; and one was in the Kusilvak Census Area.
Another 12 cases were reported in nonresidents Sunday, including two in Anchorage, one in Fairbanks, one in Prudhoe Bay and one in the…
Read More News: Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 654 new cases reported Sunday as hospitalizations
