Mat-Su COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations down from peak, higher than state average

Data for this story comes from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ COVID-19 Dashboards.

While COVID-19 case numbers in the Mat-Su and A have dropped significantly since their peak during the fall, they still remain in the “High Alert” category as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The seven-day case rate per 100,000 residents for the Mat-Su is significantly higher than the rate for Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau.  It is also slightly higher than the statewide case rate.

Hospitalization rates in the Mat-Su are also down from the peak, though twenty-four people were in the hospital with COVID-19 in the borough as of Thursday. One-third of all hospitalizations for COVID in the state are in the Mat-Su.

Vaccination rates against COVID-19 in the Mat-Su also remain relatively low.  Statewide, fifty-six percent of Alaskans five years and older are fully vaccinated, compared with forty percent in the Mat-Su.  For adults, sixty-three percent are fully vaccinated statewide, compared to fifty-seven percent in the Mat-Su.