Alaska Department of Health & Social Services Weekly Case Update May 9-15, 2021
Brief Status Report
- The statewide transmission rate and daily case rates decreased to their lowest levels since December 2020. Case rates rose sharply in the Southern Southeast region but decreased in most other regions.
- Nearly 53% of Alaskans 16 years and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Alaska is currently the twenty-fifth most vaccinated state per capita for adults 18+. 53% of the State/IHS vaccine allocation so far has been administered.
- 98% of all hospitalizations to date were people who are unvaccinated.
- As of May 12, all Alaskans age 12 years and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Case Trends and Predictions
- 458 cases were reported in Alaskans last week. This was an 35.0% decrease from the week before.
- Case rates increased significantly in the Southern Southeast region. The Northern Southeast region experienced a small increase in case rates.
- Case rates decreased in the other 9 behavioral health regions this week.
- The estimated statewide daily growth rate as of May 17, 2021 is -3.52% and new cases are expected to halve every 19.7 days based on current modeling.
- 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.
- During the week of May 9 through May 15, 2021, 458 cases were reported in Alaskans. This is a 35.0% decrease compared to the week prior for a total of 66,764.
- Cumulative hospitalizations increased to 1,542 with 8 reported as occurring this week. Hospitalization reports often lag and only 1,509 hospitalizations were reported at this time last week, so there are 33 hospitalizations newly reported this week including ones that began during previous weeks.
- No deaths were reported this week however fifteens death earlier weeks were reported (358 total). It is common to take more than a week for a death to be reported, and deaths that occurred during May 9-May 15 may be reported in the future after death certificates are reviewed.
- 19 new nonresident cases were identified this week for a total of 2,786 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. As of May 1, 2021, CDC changed reporting of VB cases to be only those associated with hospitalization or death.
- From January 1–May 10, 2021, Alaska has recorded one death and nine hospitalizations resulting from a VB infection. These counts are provisional and subject to change as more data are compiled. In that same time frame, a total of 20,157 cases, 446 hospitalizations, and 93 deaths were reported. 98% of all hospitalizations to date were people who are unvaccinated.
- 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 May 12
- Cumulative totals of variants identified in Alaska:
Health Care Capacity
- On May 17, 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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