A summer spike in statewide COVID cases peaked at the end of July, with cases showing a decline throughout August, according to the latest State of Alaska Respiratory Virus Snapshot.
The snapshot, published Aug. 31 by the Alaska Department of Health, shows cases rising in early June and steadily increasing through July — with the notable exception of the week of July 6. Weekly cases rose from 99 reported statewide on May 25 to 189 for the week of June 1. Reporting on July 27 showed a high for the months of June, July and August with 455 cases statewide. By Aug. 31, COVID cases had retreated to 329.
COVID numbers in June and July, however, did not reach levels seen during a wintertime peak in January and February, when cases reached above 700 statewide multiple weeks in a row.
Locally, the Kenai Peninsula saw similar spikes over the summer. In data showing cases per 100,000 residents, the peninsula saw an increase starting in June — with totals jumping from 8.5 per 100,000 on May 18 to 42.4 on June 1. July 27 the peninsula reported 76.4 cases per 100,000 residents. As of Aug. 31, the peninsula was reporting 45.8 cases per 100,000.
Derotha Ferarro, director of public relations and marketing with South Peninsula Hospital, said the hospital had a few patients hospitalized with COVID and complications in July but August numbers were low, and trending down. From June 1 to Aug. 23, there were 718 COVID tests run at South Peninsula Hospital with 148 positives, Ferraro reported by email.
Although August saw a decline in cases statewide and regionally, as of Aug. 31 they had not returned to levels seen in April and May — when COVID totals were at their lowest for the year.
Lorne Carroll, state of Alaska public health nurse for the Gulf Coast and Aleutians Region, said nationwide “we’ve been having a COVID wave about two times per year.”
Carroll also noted that “everything indicates that the virus is here to stay. It’s something we’re all be going to be living with and dealing with for awhile.”
Ferarro said the hospital has ordered updated COVID vaccines, which will be available in coming weeks. The hospital will post availability of the vaccines on their website as soon as they are available.
U.S. households will be eligible to order four free COVID-19 tests, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. Tests can be ordered at: www.COVIDTests.gov starting at the end of September.
