Alaska Department of Health & Social Services Weekly Case Update
April 11-17, 2021

Brief Status Report

• The statewide transmission rate and daily case rates were nearly unchanged from last week. Case rates decreased in Anchorage, the Southern Southeast, Southwest, and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta regions. Case rates increased in all other regions.
• Alaska is currently the twelfth most vaccinated state per capita. 48% of the State/IHS vaccine allocation so far has been administered.

Case Trends and Predictions

• 1,129 cases were reported in Alaskans last week. This was a 1% increase from the week before. Case rates decreased in Anchorage, the Southern Southeast, Southwest, and YK Delta regions. Case rates increased in seven of the State’s eleven behavioral health regions this week compared with last week.
• Matanuska-Susitna case rate increased to 48.2 from 46.9 last week. The Fairbanks North Star Borough increased to 18.3 up from 17.0 the week before.
• The estimated statewide daily growth rate as of April 19, 2021 is 0.56% and new cases are expected to double every 124.1 days based on current modeling.

Regional Case Trends

Vaccines Status Update

Reported vaccinations as of April 20, 2021.

• Anyone 16 years or older who lives or works in Alaska is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
• On April 19, Alaska was the twelfth most vaccinated state per capita according to the CDC. The Alaska vaccine dashboard is available online for more up-to-date data.

Regional Vaccine Trends

• To schedule your vaccine appointment visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322. The call line is staffed Monday-Friday from 9AM-6:30PM and 9AM-4:30PM on weekends. The call line can also be used to answer general questions about vaccine safety and to request appointments to receive a specific type of vaccine. Alaskans receiving health services through a Tribal Health Organization or the Department of Defense should contact those organizations directly to determine their eligibility.

New Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths

• During the week of April 11 through April 17, 2021 1,129 cases were reported in Alaskans last week. This is a 1% increase from the week before for a total of 63,561.
• Cumulative hospitalizations increased to 1,426 with 14 reported as occurring this week. Hospitalization reports often lag and only 1,389 hospitalizations were reported at this time last week, so there are 37 hospitalizations newly reported this week including ones that began during previous weeks.
• 19 deaths were reported this week (329 total), though all of these deaths occurred prior to April 17. It is common to take more than a week for a death to be reported, and deaths that occurred during Apr 11-17 may be reported in the future after death certificates are reviewed.
• 62 new nonresident cases were identified this week for a total of 2,695 cases.

Variant Tracking

• The most recent Alaska COVID Genomic Surveillance report was released on April 15
• Cumulative totals of variants of concern identified in Alaska:

• Alaska’s Public Health Laboratories continue to monitor for variants of concern

Health Care Capacity

• On April 19, 37 Alaskans with confirmed COVID-19 were hospitalized and 1 was reported to require a mechanical ventilator.

Total Confirmed COVID-19 Beds Occupied

Cases by Week Reported and Age Group

Cases by Week Reported and Race

Cases by Week Reported and Region

Additional informational resources:

• The State of Alaska COVID-19 vaccine status update page:
• The State of Alaska COVID-19 information page provides more information about the virus and how individuals and businesses can protect themselves and others from transmission
• For the most up-to-date case information, see the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub dashboard: updated Monday – Friday at data.coronavirus.alaska.gov
• For DHSS media inquiries, please contact clinton.bennett@alaska.gov