New COVID case numbers on Alaska's Panhandle lead state and country

Ketchikan is still in the middle of its largest COVID-19 outbreak to date. While case numbers dipped into the single digits over the weekend, by Tuesday they climbed back up into the double figures.

Ketchikan’s pandemic risk level remains “very high,” and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

According to state data, the southern Panhandle — including Ketchikan, Metlakatla and Prince of Wales Island — has the highest population-adjusted rate of new cases in the state. New infections are appearing at a rate three times higher than any other region in Alaska.

According to a New York Times database, Ketchikan’s rate of new cases was the sixth-highest in the country as of Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/05/19/new-covid-case-numbers-on-alaskas-panhandle-lead-state-and-country/