Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka's COVID Count Hits 162 for the Week

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

Sitka logged 76 new cases of COVID over the last three days, bringing the seven-day total to 162.

On Friday, 37 positive tests were posted; on Saturday the count was 7; and on Sunday it was 32.

 The continued uptick in positive test results puts Sitka’s case rate to 1,900.74 weekly per 100,000 population.

The community has been on a fairly steady upward trend since early November, with a sharp rise starting December 28.

Sitka’s highest case rate was for the week ending July 22, 2021, with 200 cases and a case rate of 2,346.59. 

The rest of the state is seeing similar upward trends in cases.

“High levels of COVID-19 transmission are occurring throughout much of Alaska and the pandemic is on a rapid upward trajectory in Alaska. Dozens of Alaskans are hospitalized with COVID-19 each week,” the state Department of Health and Social Services said its most recent update.

Particularly rapid increases are seen in Anchorage, Mat-Su and Juneau, as well as in census areas outside municipalities. 

The report says that community transmission of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in Anchorage.

“Preliminary laboratory evidence suggests that the Omicron variant is rapidly becoming the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in Alaska and is driving the sharp acceleration of the pandemic in Alaska,” it says. DHSS has not confirmed through sequencing the presence of Omicron in Sitka.

“Hospitalizations are continuing to occur in younger Alaskans, with the median age of persons hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 2021 and 2022 being about 5 years younger than in 2020,” DHSS reported.

It added, that among those hospitalized due to COVID-19 and with specimen collection dates from January 16, 2021, through January 1, 2022, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated patients had a median age 14 years younger than fully vaccinated patients.