State epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin says vaccinations and boosters are helping stave off infections and minimize serious illness.
"omicron in Alaska"
A new dominant omicron strain in the U.S. is driving up cases — and reinfections
BA.5 is now the dominant omicron strain in the U.S. It’s good at evading the immune system, but it doesn’t appear to cause more serious illness.
The BA.2 strain now makes up nearly half of Alaska COVID cases
Statewide, 59.6% of Alaskans are fully vaccinated. Local rates range from 79.6% in the Juneau region to 42% in the Matanuska-Susitna region.
Omicron subvariant BA.2 gaining ground in Alaska
Case counts and hospitalizations have been on a downward trend, currently sitting at about a tenth of the peak case count in January.
Alaska hospital cases drop by more than half as omicron wave recedes
After a large spike in COVID-19 cases earlier this year that strained hospital resources, Anchorage hospital officials are cautiously hopeful that a return to more normal conditions is near.
Juneau is trading pandemic restrictions for other tools as case rates fall
This month, the state’s pandemic poster child dropped mask mandates for vaccinated people, and city officials say they’re envisioning a day when they relax regulations even further.