COVID-19 hospitalizations fell sharply statewide and remained low in the Kenai Peninsula Borough this week, according to data updated by the Department of Health on Tuesday.

According to state data, 12 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Alaska. This is down from 23 last week. This is the fewest reported hospitalizations statewide since June 27, 2021.

In the Gulf Coast region, which includes the Kenai Peninsula Borough, two hospitalizations were reported, matching the total reported last week. Statewide, no patients are on ventilators.

The state reported no new resident deaths from COVID-19 this week. Deaths are reported in batches, as they are confirmed by the state. No information is provided about when these deaths occurred. The updates come roughly once a month, with the last update adding 19 deaths three weeks ago. To date, there have been 1,468 deaths statewide from COVID-19 and 124 in the borough.

Due to the widespread availability of at-home COVID testing, officials say hospitalization and recent death data are more effective indicators of the virus’ spread than case counts.

For the period of April 9 to April 15, 363 new resident COVID-19 cases were reported in the state. Case counts are up slightly from last week, when officials reported 359 new resident cases for the period of April 2 to April 8.

In the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 18 cases were reported this week, up from 13 last week.

Officials recommend all eligible Alaskans be up to date on their COVID vaccines to minimize the infection’s impact on communities. Anyone 6 months and older is eligible for a primary vaccination series and can receive a booster.

An updated bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine is available in Alaska. These are designed to tackle both the original COVID-19 strain and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron.

This new booster is available to eligible individuals at least two months after their last shot, whether that was a booster dose or their primary vaccine series.

Boosters are recommended whether or not a person has already contracted the virus.

According to state data, as of this week, 55.5% of Alaskans had completed a primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 13.0% were up to date on their vaccine and had received the bivalent booster. In the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 11.5% are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccine, while 49.5% haven’t received even a single dose.

For more information on vaccine eligibility, visit https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/epi/id/pages/covid-19/vaccineinfo.aspx.

To find a COVID-19 or Influenza vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.