Alaska COVID Updates Missing Amid National COVID Surge

 Up among the tabs under the orange banner on top is a link to Respiratory Virus Cases.  That goes to a 'page' in Blogger's lingo, that is separate from the main posts I do here.  

Today I posted a new update there and I'm posting it here as well because it's important for Alaskans to know that State simply isn't updating the numbers in a timely manner, even though there is a national COVID surge.  A friend cancelled dinner plans last week because he got sick the night before and tested positive for COVID

I've been posting these updates there as they come out from the State.  That used to be weekly, but now it seems to be whenever they get around to it.  That Page (Tab) also has the charts the State publishes (used to publish?). Before that I tracked the COVID numbers they posted since March 2020.  Those are on other tabs up there under the banner.  

Here's today's update to my Respiratory Virus Cases update:

August 5, 2024 -  The last time I posted was July 12, a bit over three weeks ago.  The last date the state posted numbers for was July 6 - just under a month ago.  Meanwhile a lot of people are getting COVID, but in Alaska we aren't finding out because the State has cut back on how often they update the numbers.  To clarify, the post weekly updates, but they don't post them weekly.  They post two or three weeks at a time.  

As of today, there are four unreported weeks.  

Meanwhile, from the LA Times (I think this link isn't pay walled):

"COVID surge’s tenacity surprises experts

Doctors, others say infections have been strong this summer, with KP.3.1.1 subvariant the most common.

BY RONG-GONG LIN II

California’s summer COVID surge has proved to be particularly strong and enduring, surprising experts with its tenacity as it storms into a third month.

The strength of this summer’s COVID surge probably is largely related to the ever-more infectious subvariants that continue to emerge as the coronavirus evolves, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

A dizzying number of related subvariants — collectively dubbed FLiRT — have emerged in recent months. One in particular, KP.3.1.1, has been picking up steam at a startling pace and has become the most common strain nationwide."