Mat-Su sees second highest day of COVID cases and effect on spread from the state fair is uncertain

It has now been over eighteen months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and since Governor Mike Dunleavy first declared a state of emergency around the disease.

The surge of new cases and hospitalizations that began last month shows no signs of slowing, including in the Mat-Su, which saw its second-highest single day of reported cases on Tuesday with nearly 300.  As of Thursday, more than 200 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, including thirty-three in the Mat-Su.  The fourteen ICU beds at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center were briefly listed at below-capacity, but are now all occupied once again.  Vaccination rates against the virus that causes COVID-19 have remained largely flat in the Mat-Su during the month of September, with just over forty percent of those twelve and over fully vaccinated.

September offers multiple occasions that traditionally see large numbers of people gathering, including Labor Day weekend and the Alaska State Fair.  Since the end of the fair, some KTNA listeners have wondered whether the fair in particular could have been a factor in the current surge of cases.  Epidemiologist Louisa Castrodale says it’s hard to pinpoint sources of contacts with so many new cases.

“I think one thing that’s also tricky when there is a lot of COVID and you have a long incubation period–a long sort of exposure time–people can have multiple exposures for COVID because there’s so much circulating.  I don’t know that we have a specific signal from the [Alaska State] Fair because there’s just so much activity everywhere.” 

Castrodale adds that any large gathering where many people are not wearing face coverings, including the Alaska State Fair, is an opportunity for COVID-19 to spread.

Another question from Thursday’s call dealt with mental health and resilience after so long dealing with the impacts of COVID-19.  The general population, and the healthcare community in particular, are dealing with continued levels of elevated stress and anxiety.  Multiple state officials reported during the same call that some instances of harassment of healthcare workers and public health officials have been reported in Alaska.

For those looking for help managing stress, anxiety, or depression, the state has online resources available, and the Alaska Careline can be reached at 1-877-266-4357.  Links to other resources are posted at KTNA’s COVID-19 resources page.