Alaska reported 1,150 COVID-19 cases and 95 admissions on Friday

By Annie Berman

Up to date: 14 minutes ago Published: 2 hours ago

Alaska on Friday reported 1,150 cases of COVID-19 over two days as part of an overall decline in the state’s omicron rise.

• The latest figures included 1,131 cases among residents and a further 19 among non-residents, as well as 95 COVID-positive patients admitted to hospital across the country – a slight increase from 90 admissions on Wednesday.

• Cases in the last week have decreased by 47% compared to the week before, state data showed.

No new deaths were reported on Friday. The state now only reports COVID-related deaths on Wednesday. Since the pandemic began, a total of 1,108 Alaska residents and 33 non-residents have died from the virus.

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• Despite reports of fewer cases week by week, Alaska’s seven-day new cases are still the second highest in the country, after Maine, according to a CDC tracker. That’s probably because Alaska’s omicron wave began and peaked a few weeks after other states, Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Alaska’s state epidemiologist, this week.

• N95 masks – which work particularly well to prevent omicron from spreading between people – are now available for free in many grocery stores, pharmacies and public health centers around the state.

As of Friday, 63.6% of eligible Alaska residents had completed their primary vaccine series. Only 26.6% had received a booster.