“We feel like we are at a turning point,” said the president of the association, as Alaska’s COVID hospitalizations declined.

Hospitalizations with COVID-19 continued to decline across the state on Tuesday, prompting optimism from the head of the Alaskan Hospital Association after months of high stress and strain on medical facilities.

“We feel like we’re at a turning point,” said Jared Kosin, president and chief executive officer of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, referring to the decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations last week and a half. rice field.

“I feel that the (hospital) situation is being managed in a way that hasn’t been around for a long time,” he said.

By Tuesday, 131 people admitted with COVID-19 were shown by state dashboard data, and it is estimated that approximately 14.4% of state inpatients have active cases. This is a significant reduction from the highest value, which averaged more than 200 people hospitalized. From September.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital announced on Tuesday that it will invalidate the crisis standards that have been in place since the beginning of October. In a statement, Foundation Health Partners said that the return to standard treatment in low-pressure “emergency” reflected lower in-facility and state-wide hospitalization rates, improved capacity, and as needed. It has become easier to transfer patients to other hospitals.

The effects of the recent virus surge are still supported. Alaska reported on Tuesday another 28 virus-related deaths identified through a review of death certificates. Twenty-two of these deaths occurred in October, five more in September and one in August.

on Monday, State reports 53 virus deaths, Most of them occurred in September.

The State Department of Health also reported 387 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The number of cases has fallen from a record high that Alaska saw a few weeks ago, but the overall pandemic is still relatively high.

Alaska’s seven-day case rate is 546 per 100,000, or about 3.5 times the national average, and remains the highest in the US state. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..

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Since July, the outbreak of virus caused by the highly contagious delta variant has led to a surge in hospitalizations and deaths around Alaska, pushing the medical system to its limits. September and October 2021 were the worst pandemic months to date. State data It will be displayed as of Tuesday.

And the critical standard treatment Still officially activated At about 20 hospitals in Alaska, Kosin said a reduction in the number of COVID-positive patients meant that the facility did not have to act on these criteria for at least the past week and a half.

The transition to crisis standards is often considered the worst-case scenario. They aim to provide both guidance and liability protection to healthcare professionals operating on very scarce resources.

“If this trend continues, it is expected that critical standard treatments will be ineffective,” Kosin said.

The latest case numbers are also part of the recent decline in cases that Alaska has seen after a few weeks of daily stagnation.

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The newly reported deaths are: A woman in her 60s with Kotzebue. Six men from Fairbanks. Includes 2 people in their 80s and above, 2 people in their 70s, and 2 people in their 50s. Anchorage man in his 70s. Anchorage woman in her 60s. Eight women from Wasilla, including three in their 80s and above, one in their 70s, three in their 60s, and one in their 50s. Six people from Palmer. Three men in their 80s and above, men and women in their 70s, and women in their 60s. A Soldotna man in his 60s. Homerman in his 80s. A woman in the Dillingham Census area in her 50s. A Kodiak bear woman in her 80s or older. And a Juno man in his 60s.

Deaths from COVID-19 do not always appear immediately in state virus data. This process can be time consuming, although it may only appear after the death certificate has been reviewed by health authorities. several weeks.

Government agencies Death certificate Report the death of COVID-19.If the doctor determines that COVID-19 infection has contributed to the death of a person, it is included in Death certificate and final count With the state’s official toll, health officials say.

As of Tuesday, 7.69% returned a positive result for the COVID-19 test based on a 7-day moving average, down from the mid-October peak of 10.9%.