Alaska recorded 22 COVID-19 deaths last season, including one child

Twenty-two Alaska residents died last season with COVID-19 listed on the death certificate as an underlying or contributing cause. One of them was a child.

State epidemiologists reported the deaths Wednesday in their season summary covering September 2025 through August 2026. It says nothing further about the child. It recommends vaccination for everyone eligible, particularly people at higher risk of getting seriously ill.

Alaska recorded fewer cases than in either of the two previous seasons. Counts fell steadily from February through June, then rose again through August. The summary does not publish case totals.

Other state figures give a sense of scale, though they cover different periods and count deaths differently. A report last December counted more than 1,500 Alaska deaths attributed to COVID-19 through the end of the federal public health emergency, roughly one in every 500 residents. The state's 2024 vital statistics list COVID-19 as the underlying cause in 58 deaths that year. Flu killed 36 Alaskans last season, none of them children.

This season's vaccines target XFG, a descendant of Omicron, and four are available at pharmacies around the state. Family physicians recommend a dose for everyone 19 and older, and a second dose for people 65 and older at least six months later. Pediatricians recommend a dose for infants 6 to 23 months and for older children with high-risk conditions. Obstetricians recommend one for people who are pregnant, postpartum or planning a pregnancy. Pemgarda, an antibody drug, is authorized to prevent infection in people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Wastewater data for Anchorage is on WastewaterSCAN's dashboard, and the University of Alaska Anchorage keeps a statewide one.