COVID-19 hospitalizations rising among older Alaskans, health officials say

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COVID-19 hospitalizations amongst older Alaskans are growing as new circumstances additionally rise, state well being officers mentioned Wednesday.

Folks over 70 now make up nearly all of the state’s COVID-positive sufferers, chief medical officer Dr. Anne Zink mentioned throughout a briefing. Even for vaccinated and boosted folks, age stays the highest danger issue for extreme sickness from the virus.

State well being officers say present hospitalization charges of individuals over 70 stay far beneath these seen throughout final yr’s surge pushed by the delta variant, however rose during the last week.

The variety of new reported circumstances elevated by 26% over the previous seven days, knowledge confirmed. That improve is partially linked to vacationers and in addition an omicron subvariant driving up circumstances within the Decrease 48 — BA.2.12.1 made up at the least 5% of just lately sequenced circumstances, state well being officers say.

Whereas the well being division’s weekly knowledge doesn’t replicate house take a look at outcomes, officers say it ought to typically replicate broader pandemic traits.

The Alaska Division of Well being and Social Companies now updates all of its COVID-19 knowledge solely on Wednesdays. Listed here are a number of fundamental takeaways from the most recent knowledge obtainable:

• By Wednesday, there have been 46 COVID-positive sufferers hospitalized round Alaska, a small improve from 44 per week earlier however far beneath peak numbers earlier within the pandemic. Just below 4% of Alaska’s hospital sufferers have been COVID-positive. One required a ventilator.

• The areas with the very best per capita case charges this week included the Denali Borough, Bethel Census Space and several other areas in Southeast, together with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Skagway municipality, Metropolis and Borough of Juneau, Haines Borough and the Yakutat plus Hoonah-Angoon space — all at greater than 400 circumstances per 100,000 folks. That knowledge represents reported circumstances and never at-home assessments, however regional ranges present a way of bigger case traits, officers say.

• The state well being division on Wednesday reported 2,463 circumstances of COVID-19 in Alaska over a seven-day interval. That’s a bounce of included 552 circumstances amongst nonresidents and 1,911 amongst residents, and averages out to just about 352 circumstances per day.

• Well being officers say the current rise in customer circumstances is primarily a mirrored image of the beginning of vacationer season. About half of the newly reported circumstances contain cruise ship passengers, however the state can be seeing a rise in nonresident circumstances outdoors ports in Southeast Alaska, and from industries in addition to tourism.

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• The state reported no new deaths linked to the virus.

• In whole, 1,252 COVID-19 deaths amongst residents and 34 amongst nonresidents have been reported since March 2020. Most of the deaths reported by the state in current weeks occurred weeks to months earlier.

• Alaska’s seven-day new case price per 100,000 folks fell to twenty third highest within the nation this week, according to a CDC tracker.

• In line with Alaska’s coronavirus variant dashboard, the overwhelming majority of probably the most just lately sequenced viruses have been the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which seems extra transmissible than different variants however no more virulent or higher at evading immune responses conferred by vaccination or prior an infection. However about 4.8% of the circumstances have been one other new omicron subvariant — BA.2.12.1 — driving up Decrease 48 counts. This knowledge is a delayed reflection of what’s occurring locally due to the prolonged means of labs sending samples to the state to be sequenced, officers say.

• As of Wednesday, 65.1% of eligible Alaskans in addition to army personnel had accomplished their major vaccine collection. Simply over 31% of eligible persons are totally vaccinated with at the least one booster.

• The FDA approved one other Pfizer or Moderna booster shot for these 50 and older, in addition to for sure youthful people with severely compromised immune programs, if it’s been at the least 4 months since their final vaccination. Details about getting a vaccine shot or booster in Alaska is offered at covidvax.alaska.gov.

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