COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

COVID-19. (Image courtesy CDC)

COVID-19 4th leading cause of death in 2020

COVID was responsible for 231 deaths in 2020

COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in Alaska in 2020, according to a vital statistics report from the state Department of Health and Social Services.

The leading cause of death statewide in 2020 was cancer, followed by heart disease and accidental, unintentional injuries.

COVID was responsible for 231 deaths in 2020, making up about 4.6% of all deaths that year, the report said.

The data refers to the crude death rate as the number of deaths per 100,000 residents. Because areas with higher proportions of older residents will naturally have higher crude death rates, the state configured an age-adjusted death rate so as not to skew the data.

The age-adjusted death rate represents standardized deaths per 100,000 residents between populations with different age demographics.

According to the report, American Indian and Alaska Native residents had the highest age-adjusted death rate by race, at 100.1 per 100,000 people. Seniors were the most likely to die of the virus, with 78.4% of COVID deaths occurring among residents 65 and older. More men died of COVID than women.

The data found that contributing causes of COVID deaths in 2020, also called comorbidities, were heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.

In 2020, 28.6% of COVID deaths occurred in individuals with heart disease, and 11.3% in those with diabetes. Additionally, 10.4% of people who died of COVID had chronic lower respiratory diseases.

The first COVID case in Alaska was announced on March 12, 2020, and the first COVID deaths by underlying cause also occurred that month. December had the most COVID deaths in 2020.

The report also states that the majority — 78.8% — of COVID deaths in 2020 occurred in an inpatient hospital, compared to the usual 33.3% of total deaths that typically occur at a hospital.

As of Monday, there had been a total of 1,052 COVID deaths among Alaska residents since the pandemic began, with the overwhelming majority occurring in September and October of 2021. COVID deaths and hospitalizations remain low, even now as the state is reporting the most cases it ever has.

The other six leading causes of death in 2020 in descending order were cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, suicide, diabetes, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Read the full 2020 vital statistics reports at https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/VitalStats/Pages/data/default.aspx.

This article has been updated to accurately describe the age-adjusted death rate metric as a standard number of deaths per 100,000 taking populations with different ages into account, and to correct an error in the DHSS vital statistics report about when the first COVID-related death in Alaska occurred.

Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Kenai Peninsula College main entrance on Aug. 18, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Chiappone and Dunstan to speak at the KPC Showcase

Kenai Peninsula College continues its showcase with two new speakers this week and next

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, talks about issues of concern regarding the proposed merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons during a floor speech in the House chamber on Wednesday. (Screenshot from official U.S. House of Representatives video feed)
Begich leads in early results, but Alaska’s U.S. House race won’t be immediately decided

About 245,000 ballots had been counted by 11:32 p.m., and Peltola trailed by about 5 percentage points

The Alaska governor’s mansion on Wednesday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is considered a contender for a post in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Election summary: Trump wins, GOP takes over U.S. Senate, Alaska may get new governor

Begich and repeal of ranked choice voting narrowly lead; GOP may lose control of state House.

Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 7, 2024. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Voters line up at the polling site at Anchorage City Hall on Nov. 4, 2024. City Hall was one of the designated early voting sites in Alaska’s largest city. It is not a designated site for Election Day voting. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Republicans lose two seats in state House, increasing odds of leadership switch

Rural Alaska precincts had reported few results by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Donald Trump won or was leading as of Wednesday morning in all seven swing states in the 2024 presidential election. (Doug Mills / The New York Times)
Donald Trump returns to power, ushering in new era of uncertainty

He played on fears of immigrants and economic worries to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

A voter is handed as ballot at Woodworth School in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. One of the most consequential presidential elections in the nation’s modern history is well underway, as voters flocked to churches, schools and community centers to shape the future of American democracy. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
Trump verges on victory, picking up Pennsylvania

Donald Trump has captured Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of the seven battleground… Continue reading

Signs and supporters line the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Unofficial results for the 2024 general election

Preliminary, unofficial election results as of 9:55 p.m.

Poll worker Carol Louthan helps voters submit ballots at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Bjorkman, Ruffridge, Elam and Vance lead in election night results

Several residents said that they came out to vote because they knew this election was “a big one.”

Most Read