Alaska Department of Health & Social Services Weekly Case Update
June 6-12, 2021
Brief Status Report
- The overall number of reported COVID-19 cases in Alaska was lower than the previous week continuing the statewide trend that has been observed since late April. However, cases continue to be reported from most boroughs and census areas.
- Since January 1, 2021, 97% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alaska have been among people who were unvaccinated.
- 54% of Alaskans aged 12 years and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- As of June 1, anyone age 12 and older, including nonresident tourists, arriving at the Juneau, Fairbanks, or Anchorage airports is able to get a dose of vaccine free of charge at the airport
Case Trends and Predictions
- 140 cases were reported in Alaskans last week. This is a 38% decrease from the week before.
- The incidence of COVID-19 appears to be declining in most boroughs and census areas.
- We expect considerable week-to-week variability in the number of cases, especially in smaller communities or where incidence is low.
- The estimated statewide daily growth rate as of June 1 is -4.6% and new cases are expected to halve every 15.2 days based on current modeling.
- Anyone aged ≥12 years in Alaska is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
- On June 14, Alaska was the twenty-eighth most vaccinated state per capita for adults aged ≥18 years. The Alaska vaccine dashboard is available online for more up-to-date data.
- Through May 24 this is the percent of Alaskans aged 16+ who received one more dose of vaccine. Beginning on June 1, the calculation changed to the percent of Alaskans aged 12+ who have received one or more dose of vaccine. The percentage may be lower since the number of persons eligible for the vaccine increased.
- To schedule your vaccine appointment visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322. The call line is staffed Monday-Friday from 9AM-6:30PM and 9AM-4:30PM on weekends.
- You can also visit vaccines.gov or find clinics in your area by texting your zip code to GETVAX (438829) in English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish.
- During the week of June 6 through June 12, 2021, 140 cases were reported in Alaskans. This is a 38% decrease compared to the week prior, for a total of 67,866 cases.
- Cumulative hospitalizations increased to 1,590 with 2 reported as occurring this week. Hospitalization reports often lag and only 1581 hospitalizations were reported at this time last week, so there are 9 hospitalizations newly reported this week including ones that began during previous weeks.
- Four deaths were reported this week, however none of these occurred during the previous week (366 total). It is common to take more than a week for a death to be reported, and deaths that occurred during June 6–June 12 may be reported in the future after death certificates are reviewed.
- 10 new nonresident cases were identified this week for a total of 2,832 cases.
- Vaccine breakthrough (VB) infections of COVID are those detected in a person who is more than 2 weeks beyond their second dose of a 2-dose series or the only dose of a 1-dose series. All VB cases are investigated by the Section of Epidemiology but only VB cases associated with hospitalization or death are reported to the CDC.
- From January 1–June 12, 2021, Alaska has recorded one death and thirteen hospitalizations resulting from a VB infection among Alaska residents. These counts are provisional and subject to change as more data are compiled. In that same time frame, a total of 21,580 cases, 493 hospitalizations, and 102 deaths were reported. 97% of all hospitalizations to date were unvaccinated people.
- Specimens from VB infections (regardless of severity) are prioritized for sequencing and described in the weekly Alaska Genomics Report
Variant Tracking
- The most recent Alaska COVID Genomic Surveillance report was released on June 9
- Cumulative totals of variants identified in Alaska:
Health Care Capacity
- On June 14, 21 Alaskans with confirmed COVID-19 were hospitalized and 3 were reported to require a mechanical ventilator.
Additional informational resources:
- The State of Alaska COVID-19 vaccine status update page:
- The State of Alaska COVID-19 information page provides more information about the virus and how individuals and businesses can protect themselves and others from transmission
- For the most up-to-date case information, see the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub dashboard: updated Monday – Friday at data.coronavirus.alaska.gov
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