New case numbers decline, but Alaska stays in red alert

State health officials are reporting a sharp decline in the number of new COVID-19 infections, and no new deaths from the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Alaska remains on high alert due to the reported number of cases per 100,000 people over the seven days preceding Feb. 13.

For the weekend of Feb. 11-13, the total number of new cases came to 1,864, including 1,822 residents and 42 nonresidents, with 111 hospitalizations and no deaths. DHSS said that five residents of Cordova and 10 residents of the Copper River Census Area were among those testing positive.

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services officials put the total number of Alaska resident cases at 226,276 and the total number of nonresident cases at 7,685. A total of 3,514 residents have been hospitalizations and 1,081 Alaskans have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020.

The case numbers do not reflect the increasing number of Alaskans who are using readily available test kits to check themselves to determine if they have the pandemic virus and may or may not have reported to DHSS if they tested positive.

The latest DHSS list of listed the new resident cases as:

  • Anchorage 648
  • Nome Census Area 182
  • Greater Wasilla Area 114
  • Fairbanks 89
  • Juneau 60
  • Greater Palmer Area, Northwest Arctic Borough 44
  • Kodiak 42
  • Eagle River 41
  • Soldotna 41
  • Chevak, Homer 36
  • Kotzebue 34
  • Nome 31
  • Ketchikan, Utqiagvik 29
  • Kenai 21
  • Bethel, Bethel Census Area, North Slope Borough, Seward 20
  • Metlakatla 18
  • Kusilvak Census Area 15
  • Kenai Peninsula Borough-South, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area 14
  • Chugiak, North Pole 12
  • Copper River Census Area, Sitka 10
  • Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Sterling 9
  • Haines, Wrangell 8
  • Houston/Big Lake Area 7
  • Anchor Point 6
  • Cordova, Delta Junction, Dillingham Census Area, Petersburg 5
  • Chugach Census Area, Kenai Peninsula Borough North, Tok, Willow 4
  • Craig, Girdwood, Healy, Hoonah-Angoon and Yakutat, Kodiak Island Borough, Nikiski, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area 3
  • Aleutians East Borough, Dillingham, Skagway 2
  • Aleutians West Census Area, Bristol Bay/Lake and Peninsula Borough Combined, Fritz Creek, Mat-Su Borough and Unalaska 1

The 42 nonresident cases include five in Aleutians East Borough; four each in Nome; three in the Dillingham Census Area and North Slope Borough, and Fairbanks; two each in Anchorage, Kotzebue, Palmer and Wrangell; and one each in Homer, Kodiak, and Wasilla; plus two at an undisclosed location.

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