Alaska reported thousands more coronavirus cases over the weekend and 21 more deaths from the disease.
The new deaths date back for months and are a result of a backlog in checking death certificates. Eighteen of them were Alaska residents. On Friday, the state reported 44 deaths.
The state health department recorded 1,009 cases on Friday, 1,294 on Saturday, and 1,575 on Sunday.
The state set a record for new daily cases on Thursday when it reported 1,719 cases. Health officials say the daily totals will fluctuate as they deal with the backlog of reports.
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The number of COVID patients hospitalized remains at near record levels, with 215 Alaskans currently hospitalized with the disease.
Alaska continues to lead the country for average new daily COVID cases per capita. If it were its own country, Alaska would rank second for its 7-day average of new daily infections per capita behind Grenada, according to data compiled by the New York Times.
This story has been corrected. There were 21 new COVID-19 deaths reported Monday, not 7.
Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.
