11 new deaths reported | Clarion Peninsula

There were 11 more deaths from COVID-19 in Alaska, announced Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

They were six residents of Anchorage, two men from Fairbanks and two people from the North Pole. Another non-resident was diagnosed and died in Fairbanks.

Monday’s new COVID deaths contributed to the state’s total of 688 and more than 739,000 nationwide. The number of people who have died from COVID in the United States now exceeds the entire population of the state of Alaska, which was 733,391 according to the 2020 census.

The state also announced 753 positive COVID cases on Tuesday as Alaska remained on high alert – with an estimated seven-day moving average of 693.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The high alert threshold is 100 or more cases per 100,000 people. The state has exceeded this metric more than six times.

Monday’s new case count included 19 in Soldotna, 16 in Kenai, 13 in Homer, six in Anchor Point, four in Sterling and one each in the Kenai Peninsula Borough South, Nikiski and Seward.

Statewide, there were 244 COVID-related hospitalizations as of Tuesday, with 37 COVID patients on ventilators.

At the Central Peninsula Hospital, there were 29 COVID patients as of Tuesday morning – including 25 unvaccinated – including five in the intensive care unit and four on ventilators. The hospital as a whole was operating at 131% of its capacity with a total of 64 patients. The facility has only 49 beds under regular license.

On Monday, CPH broke its record for the most COVID hospital patients in a single day, or 30 in total.

Health officials widely agree that choosing to be vaccinated against COVID is the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death from the virus.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) as a COVID treatment for adults and some children. In addition, the FDA has issued emergency use authorization for intravenous infusions of monoclonal antibodies for adults and most children 12 years of age and older.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, now marketed as Comirnaty, received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration for anyone 16 years of age and older in August. Pfizer is still available through emergency use authorization under FDA guidelines for children 12 to 15 years old.

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson / Janssen injections are FDA approved for emergency use for anyone 18 years of age and older.

The FDA also approved a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for emergency use in immunocompromised people in August.

Additionally, in September, the FDA approved a booster dose for the Pfizer vaccine. They are available to anyone 65 years of age or older, anyone 18 years of age and over living in long-term care facilities, anyone 18 years of age and over with underlying health conditions, and anyone 18 years of age. and more working in high risk settings.

Primary care providers can determine eligibility for an initial set of vaccines, as well as third injections and booster doses for immunocompromised people.

Statewide, 60% of people 12 and older were fully vaccinated against COVID on Tuesday. Another 64.8% had received at least one injection.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s immunization rate continues to lag behind many other areas.

As of Tuesday, 50.2% of people 12 and older were fully vaccinated and 54% had received at least one dose. The only census area to have a lower vaccination rate was the Matanuska-Susitna region on Wednesday, at 43.2%.

Since some Alaskans have received booster doses, DHSS has issued a warning that the immunization rate data may be an overestimate.