COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are down locally and statewide, according to data update by the Department of Health on Tuesday.

According to state data, 28 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Alaska. This is down from last week’s total of 35 patients who were hospitalized.

Of the patients hospitalized this week, none are using a ventilator. Locally, in the Gulf Coast region, which includes the Kenai Peninsula Borough, one patient is hospitalized. Last week, the local region reported six hospitalizations.

The state reported no new resident deaths from COVID-19 this week. Deaths are reported in batches, as they are confirmed by the state. No information is provided about when these deaths occurred. The last update was three weeks ago, when 13 deaths were confirmed. None of those deaths were in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. To date, there have been 1,449 deaths statewide from COVID-19 and 124 in the borough.

Due to the widespread availability of at-home COVID testing, officials say hospitalization and recent death data are more effective indicators of the virus’ spread than case counts.

For the period of March 5 to March 11, 449 new resident COVID-19 cases were reported. Case counts are down from last week, when officials reported 582 new resident cases for the period of Feb. 26 to March 4. This week’s count is the lowest reported since Jan. 3.

For the most recent week, 20 cases were reported in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. This is down from 40 last week.

Officials recommend all eligible Alaskans be up to date on their COVID vaccines to minimize the infection’s impact on communities. Anyone 6 months and older is eligible for a primary vaccination series and can receive a booster.

An updated bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine is available in Alaska. These are designed to tackle both the original COVID-19 strain and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron.

This new booster is available to eligible individuals at least two months after their last shot, whether that was a booster dose or their primary vaccine series.

Boosters are recommended whether or not a person has already contracted the virus.

As of this week, 56.7% of Alaskans had completed a primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 13% were up to date on their vaccine and had received the bivalent booster. In the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 11.0% were up to date on their vaccine. In the borough, 48.7% — nearly half of all individuals — had not received even a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

For more information on vaccine eligibility, visit https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/epi/id/pages/covid-19/vaccineinfo.aspx.

To find a COVID-19 or Influenza vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.