Alaska health officials say a recent rise in visitor COVID-19 cases primarily reflects the start of tourist season. Many of the cases involve cruise ship passengers, but the state is also seeing an increase in nonresident cases from other industries.
Alaska’s COVID-19 case counts dropped slightly this week, with the number of visitor cases remaining relatively high as more tourists arrived in the state. Here are a few main takeaways from the latest data available from the state Department of Health and Social Services:
• By Wednesday, there were 49 COVID-positive patients hospitalized around Alaska, a slight increase from the 46 reported by the state a week earlier but far below peak numbers earlier in the pandemic. Just over 4% of Alaska’s hospital patients were COVID-positive. Four required a ventilator. • The state health department on Wednesday reported 2,268 cases in Alaska over a seven-day period, a drop from 2,463 cases reported last week. This week’s total includes 1,775 cases among residents and 493 cases among nonresidents, and averages out to nearly 324 cases per day. That data represents reported cases and not at-home tests, but can provide a sense of broader case trends, officials say.
• Health officials say a recent rise in visitor cases primarily reflects the start of tourist season. Many of the cases involve cruise ship passengers, but the state is also seeing an increase in nonresident cases outside ports in Southeast Alaska, and from industries besides tourism.
• The state reported no new deaths linked to the virus. In total, 1,252 COVID-19 deaths among residents and 34 among nonresidents have been reported since March 2020. Many of the deaths reported by the state in recent weeks occurred weeks to months earlier.