The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) reported 151 new COVID-19 cases in the region from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5. YKHC also reported two new hospitalizations in-region and one medevac due to the virus during this period.
This is a 14% decrease in cases from the prior week. Last week, there were 171 new cases, one hospitalization in-region, and one death. The test positivity rate also fell by 1% during this time. This drop suggests that fewer cases are going unreported and infection rates are falling.
Last week, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced about 1,591 new COVID-19 cases statewide. During that time, the Y-K Delta made up 9.5% of the state’s new cases.
Over the past week, in alphabetical order by community, YKHC announced four cases in Akiachak, 29 in Alakanuk, 25 in Bethel, three in Chevak, two in Eek, five in Emmonak two in Kwethluk, two in Marshall, one in Napakiak, six in Napaskiak, one in Newtok, 15 in Nunapitchuk, two in Pilot Station, two in Toksook Bay, three in Tuluksak, two in Tuntutuliak, 19 in Tununak and four in unnamed Y-K Delta Villages.
YKHC reports that across the Y-K Delta, 16,223 individuals are fully vaccinated against the virus. According to state data, 69% of the eligible population in the Y-K Delta has been fully vaccinated. This is a 2% increase in the vaccination rate of the eligible population from the previous week.
How does the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta compare to state and national trends?
Per capita, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta continues to report more COVID-19 cases on average than the state and nation. From Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, YKHC announced an average of 22.6 new COVID-19 cases each day, about two fewer cases per day than the week before. Per 100,000 people in the region, about 520.7 developed COVID-19 in the last seven days. In the same time period, the state announced 253.3 new cases per 100,000 people across Alaska, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced 218.9 cases per 100,000 people across the U.S.
Regional cases are falling steeply, down 40% from last month and 61% from early October, when the region experienced its third highest case rate since the beginning of the pandemic. However, regional cases remain high relative to other areas.
The Y-K Delta’s COVID-19 case rate is two-and-a-half times higher than the national case rate, and two times higher than the state’s. However, regional cases are falling at a faster rate than the state’s. Meanwhile, the national case rate is increasing, and health officials expect cases to continue to trend upwards as people travel for the holidays.
With the holidays approaching, travel in the U.S. is expected to increase. Emergence of the omicron variant also brings an extra level of risk to travel, and potential risk of exposure to COVID-19.
Because there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the threat that omicron poses, health officials advise that everyone take extra precautions if traveling, but suggest that any immunocompromised individuals cancel their travel plans for the near future. Dr. Robert Murphy, a professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the school's Institute for Global Health, told NPR earlier this week that for now, people should take a “wait and see” approach to travel.
"We'll know a lot more in the next two weeks," Murphy told NPR. "If this comes out like we think it's going to come, in other words, it's just more contagious and it's not a worse disease. And if you're vaccinated and boosted, that if you do get infected, you don't get too sick, you know, I think travel could be pretty safe very soon."
