Alaska leads in nation in COVID-19 testing, per capita

Alaska is the best in the nation in regard to COVID-19 testing, per capita.

Worldometer, a website that ranks states and countries on several key measure in the COVID-19 response, currently lists Alaska as the most tested state in the nation. The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Research Center also ranks the 49th state first in the nation based on the current weekly trend. According to the most recent data, Alaska’s currently weekly trend is 4.9 tests for every 1,000 people. That’s ahead of second-place New York, which has a rate of 4.1 tests for every 1,000 people tested.

“Everyone working on testing in Alaska has risen to the challenge and grown and adapted in ways we could not have imagined six months ago,” Alaska Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink said in a press release issued by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. “We have much more work to do, but it’s important to recognize wins as we can along the way. Alaska has been particularly successful in assuring COVID-19 testing capacity. This success has been built on diverse partnerships to make COVID-19 testing accessible and affordable to anyone who needs it.”

Coronavirus testing in Alaska has gone from hundreds of tests per day at the beginning of the pandemic to thousands of tests per day now. The Alaska State Public Health Laboratories, commercial laboratories, and local hospitals and health care facilities process COVID-19 tests in the state.

“The consistent effort of many Alaskans to find innovative solutions and more streamlined processes are continuing to keep our communities safer,” Dr. Robert Onders, Hospital Administrator for the Alaska Native Medical Center, said. “In order to continue to realize positive data results, we must all remain vigilant in our personal behaviors and focus on proactive measures to increase the quantity and reliability of shipments of testing supplies and continued strategic testing across Alaska.”