The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports 183 new cases, 2 deaths and 82 hospitalizations in the COVID-19 data update on Tuesday. That case count includes 179 resident cases and 4 nonresident cases with several resident cases reported across the Kenai Peninsula.
Along with the 82 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are hospitalized, there are three additional patients who are considered persons under investigation. Nine of these patients are on ventilators. The percentage of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is 7.2%. The Alaska residents who died were a female resident of Anchorage in her 60s and a male resident of the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in his 40s.
Even though COVID-19 cases appear to be slowing in Alaska, the DHSS says that the emergence of the Omicron variant, that was classified as a variant of concern, has caused officials to monitor new developments closely due to the large number of mutations. Not enough information is known about this variant into whether it is more transmissible, causes more severe COVID-19 infection, is responsive to existing monoclonal antibody therapies, or protected against by available vaccines.