As the cold season slowly approaches, the number of Coronavirus cases continues to grow, as well as the number of hospitalizations caused by the virus. In Alaska, the report from the beginning of the week showed more than 1000 new cases. More than that, there are also more and more hospitalizations, close to the level of the worst surges seen by the hospitals in winter.
If last week there were around 100 people hospitalized with Coronavirus in Alaska; by the end of the weekend, the number had increased to 123. The most significant number of reported hospitalizations was 151, back in December when COVID cases peaked in the state. However, health officials believe that the current situation is much worse, as there is not enough medical staff, and those remaining also deal with burnout from the amount of stress they were put under in the last 18 months.
“We continue to manage, but pressure is not letting up, and there are no signs of relief in the foreseeable future,” declared the president of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, Jared Kosin. It is also noted that the patients hospitalized during this oubreak are younger on average and suffering from more severe forms of the disease. Looking at the overall number of hospitalizations, COVID cases represent around 13% of the total.
The latest COVID outbreak has been caused almost exclusively by the new infectious delta variant. Since this variant is twice as likely to infect others, the number of cases has grown steadily, affecting unvaccinated people as well as vaccinated ones. Alaska state officials continue to encourage vaccinations among the population.
