Most COVID victims had other medical condition

JUNEAU (AP) — Most of the people whose deaths were caused by or associated with COVID-19 in Alaska between January 2020 through September 2021 had at least one underlying medical condition, the state health department reported Dec. 1.

The department, in an epidemiology bulletin, said 658 deaths between Jan. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, were determined to be caused by or associated with COVID-19.

Of the 551 individuals for which their past medical history was known, 529 “had at least one underlying medical condition associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19,” the report said. Most of those — 417 — had one to three medical conditions. Cardiovascular diseases were the most common underlying condition, according to the report.

As of Monday, 152,537 COVID-19 cases and 883 deaths have been reported in Alaska since the start of the pandemic, according to the state health department.

Of those, 226 cases and one death have been reported in Wrangell, with 45 deaths reported in other Southeast communities.