A Fairbanks man in his 30s recently died of COVID-19, according to Saturday’s report by health officials. This brings the number of COVID-19-related deaths statewide to 223.
Alaska reported 378 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, 51 of them in Fairbanks, 13 in North Pole and eight elsewhere in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, according to data from the State Department of Health and Human Services.
Anchorage saw 119 new cases, Wasilla saw 39, Palmer 14, and Kenai 11.
“You can see that the trend has continued to decline overall,” said Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, in her video update on Friday. “Unfortunately, we’re starting to see a bit of a plateau, and we’re starting to see an increase in the number of cases in some areas.”
In the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the test positivity rate for the past seven days is 6.44%, indicating widespread community transmission.
To help slow down the virus, health officials continue to encourage the public to wear masks, keep their distance, and avoid gatherings that are larger than their immediate surroundings.
In terms of COVID-19 testing, in addition to recommending those experiencing symptoms and travelers to get tested, officials suggest monitoring – regular biweekly or weekly – tests for people who have regular contact with people outside of their household, at work or otherwise.
New COVID-19 variant
A new, more transmissible variant found in other countries has not been reported in Alaska, but health officials are closely monitoring the situation.
The mutated virus does not lead to a more serious disease, but because of its highly transmissible nature, more people are susceptible to contracting it, and more people could die as a result, state epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin said at a news conference on Thursday.
Current COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the new variant of the virus, but at some point the virus may mutate to the point that we need an updated vaccine, McLaughlin explained.
At least 25,085 Alaskans have been vaccinated so far.
Contact writer Alena Naiden at 459-7587. Follow her up twitter.com/FDNMlocal.