The Alaska Section of Epidemiology released a bulletin on Thursday, detailing factors involved in the deaths of Alaskans attributed to COVID-19. Their range looks at January 1, covering the entirety of the pandemic up to October 15.
In the bulletin discussing deaths, they noted that 67 deaths during their window were determined to have been caused by or related to COVID-19. Of those, 42 cases were male – making 63% – with the highest age-group being those aged over 80, followed by those aged over 70.
The current rate of deaths, as of Thursday, October 29, stands at 77, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services. The Section of Epidemiology’s report does not yet offer details with regards to those ten fatalities.
Among those the first 67 deaths, 85% first required hospitalization. The report also noted that during the reporting period, Alaska’s COVID-19 death rate was below that of the national rate – 11.6% vs. 86.5% per 100,000 population, respectively.
One important note released in the bulletin is that every deceased Alaskan who had a past medical history obtained showed at least one underlying medical condition associated with an increased risk for severe COVID-19.
The rate of death per 100,000 in population was highest among Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islanders, followed by American Indian / Alaska Natives, Asian, and Black populations.