Ten more Alaskans have died from COVID-19, the state reported on Tuesday. Eight of the deaths happened in the month of September.
Since Friday, the state has reported 69 COVID deaths as it works through a backlog of death certificates. September is on track to be the deadliest month of the pandemic in Alaska, but public health officials said it could take months for the state to record the deaths.
The state also added another 694 resident COVID cases, the first time in a week that case counts have dipped below 1,000. But health officials say that daily case counts could fluctuate as they face a backlog of testing data, too.
Hospitalizations remain near record levels and Alaska continues to have the country’s highest rate of infection for its seven-day average, according to the New York Times.
Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.
