Alaska saw back-to-back record-setting COVID-19 case counts on Friday and Saturday as nearly 500 Alaskans reported positive tests. That continues the trend of increasing counts that started about two weeks ago.
New cases are reported on a 24-hour lag, so when state health officials reported the new infections — Saturday and Sunday set record single-day highs for new cases reported in one day.
That rapid uptick has officials around the state warning that contact tracing and hospital capacity could soon become stressed if the trend continues.
Anchorage’s Office of Emergency Management said in an email alert that with those numbers, it won’t be able to keep up with conducting timely contact tracing investigations.
Most of the recent cases reported have been in Anchorage, which reported 143 new cases in one day on Sunday. But both Fairbanks and the Northwest Arctic have had higher case rates per capita.
And hospital officials around the state are warning that Anchorage’s ICU capacity could come under strain. That, in turn, could spell trouble for many rural areas of the state, which rely on Anchorage’s bed space. So far, ICU capacity has been at levels that are considered normal for this time of year. But that could change soon.
“It’s really important to remember that hospital capacity, the number of beds you have available, is a lagging indicator. If you’re trying to use capacity as a measure, for the pandemic, you’re getting the wrong indicator. You have to look at community spread because ultimately it’s the output of the community spread that produces hospitalizations and then consumes capacity,” said Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association President Jared Kosin.
Officials are urging Alaskans to wear masks when unable to social distance, to get tested for COVID-19, and to get a flu shot to help keep hospitalizations down and keep bed space open.
