Mat-Su COVID-19 cases have doubled in the last week

MAT-SU — Cases of COVID-19 in the Mat-Su Valley have more than doubled over the last week. In Alaska on Friday, 613 new cases were reported, bringing the state total to 39,975 residents who have tested positive. There have been 157 deaths of Alaskans due to COVID-19 and 1,391 total nonresident cases. In her weekly update in a video for the Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink detailed the breakdown of this week’s numbers as well as the imminently arriving vaccine shipments. In Alaska, 6.5 % of all tests conducted over the last seven days have returned positive, and over 1 million tests have been conducted in Alaska thus far.

“It’s been great to see this not climbing, but we would really like to see that less than 5%. We get that positivity down by doing two things, the first of which is minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Again, all of those mitigation factors. The second way we get it down is to make sure people test early to make sure that we can identify cases and prevent the spread to others and so those two things need to happen to get that a little bit lower so we can really get on top of this disease,” said Zink.

Statewide, 128 people are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and another 10 are awaiting test results, accounting for 15.6 % of all hospital beds statewide. There are 37 Intensive Care Unit beds available across the state. In the Mat-Su, there were 78 new cases announced on Friday, bringing the total of Mat-Su residents who have tested positive to 5,255. There have been 56 total hospitalizations and 10 deaths. Among the data Zink presented was details on the breakdowns of hospitalizations, infection and death of Alaskans of different racial backgrounds.

“Unfortunately we’re starting to see a real variation and Alaska Natives really are taking a disproportional hit with COVID-19 making up 37 % of our deaths, 27 % of our hospitalizations and 20 % of our cases while they only make up 16 % of our population,” said Zink.

Zink noted that airport testing has also seen an increase in positive cases where one in 16 passengers is estimated to test positive. As vaccines are approved, 35,100 Pfizer vaccines are expected to ship this month along with 26,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine, if approved. Alaska will receive its entire shipment of vaccines up front to account for logistical challenges and be distributed to 300 providers that will administer them. The first recipients of the vaccine will be frontline hospital workers, long-term facility staff and residents, emergency services personnel, community health aides and those performing vaccinations.

In the Mat-Su Valley, there are 19 people currently hospitalized, accounting for 25.7% of the total hospitalized population. On Dec. 20 at 5 p.m., Zink encouraged Alaskans to step outside their homes and shine a light or candle in a moment to reflect what Alaskans have been through this year.

“As we enter into the darkest part of winter and honestly the darkest part of this pandemic, remember that there is much hope,” said Zink. “This is going to be a really challenging few months but we are getting near to a much better place and an end.”