The spread of COVID-19 has slowed more rapidly than many scientists and public policy experts expected. A month ago, daily confirmed cases often rose by over 200,000 a day many days. That rate slowed to 70,592 yesterday, as the U.S. total rose to 28,100,922. That is still 25% of the world’s total. Deaths from the disease, which increased by as much as 4,000 a day a month ago, rose 2,253 yesterday to 495,180, or about 20% of the global figure.

The improvement likely has been helped by government policy for social distancing, partial shutdowns of the economy, the fact that so many people already have had the disease and a modest rise in vaccination rates. Vaccines are not completely effective without two doses. Some states have done a much better job of this than others.

Nationwide, 73,377,450 doses have been delivered. Out of those, 57,737,767 shots have been given. Most of those remain first doses. Across the United States, people who have been given at least one shot are 12.0% of the total adult population. The figure for those given two shots is up to 4.9%.

The state with the best track record for second doses is Alaska at 8.9%, almost double the U.S. figure. It also ranks in first place among states based on at least one shot given at 18.0%.

Alaskans have been fortunate in another way. It is the sixth-lowest state based on confirmed cases at 56,977. The fatal case count is just 286. Alaska is not divided into counties as is the tradition among most states. Some of the places with the smallest populations are designated “areas” and others “boroughs.” In several of these, confirmed cases number less than 400. In the Aleutians East Borough in the southwest part of the state, there have been only 22 confirmed cases.

Alaska Public Media, part of PBS, recently reported on comments from Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer:

First, she credited Alaska’s communities for working together to get people vaccinated quickly. Second, she said Alaska is getting more doses of the vaccine because of additional allotments for the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service.

Alaska has high veteran and Native American per capita populations.

Based on these anomalies, Alaska’s vaccination rates likely will stay in the vanguard among all states.

Click here to read, “COVID-19: These Are the Safest Cities in America.”

Click here to read, “COVID-19: These Are the Most Dangerous Cities in America.”

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