A second case of the omicron variant has been detected in Anchorage, state health officials announced Wednesday.
Officials said the person was an Anchorage resident who had traveled domestically out of state earlier this month and is currently isolating with mild illness. Close contacts of the person who tested positive have been notified.
While the state has only detected two cases of the omicron variant, state officials anticipate more as it becomes the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the U.S.
On Monday, Centers for Disease Control officials said the new variant accounts for roughly 73% of new positive cases in the U.S.
Overall, state health officials announced 235 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and 30 deaths related to the virus. The state announced another 57 COVID-19 related deaths on Friday, all but one from Alaska residents. Five of the deaths announced were recent. The rest were identified through death certificate reviews from August through December.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
