COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Alaska with over 3,000 new cases and 80 new hospitalizations in the data update Monday from over the weekend. 3,284 COVID-19 cases were reported. In addition, 80 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 with five additional patients who are considered persons under investigation for a total of 85 current COVID-related hospitalizations. Eight of these patients are on ventilators. The percentage of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is 6.4%.
NOTE: As of Monday, the DHSS is no longer reporting percent positivity or the cumulative number of tests on their dashboard. This is in part because of the increased use of at-home rapid antigen testing, where results aren’t reported to the state. In addition, effective Monday, some testing organizations will only be required to report positive COVID-19 test results and will not need to report negative results to the Section of Epidemiology, which allows organizations to focus on reporting positive results and mitigation instead of the task of reporting negative results.
The current statewide alert level – based on the reported number of cases per 100,000 people over the past 7 days – is high (red) at 1,128.4. For boroughs and census areas: 27 areas are at the high alert level.
NOTE: Protective measures against the Omicron variant remain the same as for the other COVID variants. Layering protective measures, including masking, handwashing, physical distancing, and testing help to reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Using a self-test before and after travel and large gatherings is advised.
