HomeCOVID-19 Community Levels and Community Case Rates
Updated April 13, 2022
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) uses COVID-19 Community Case Rates as a tool to complement the COVID-19 Community Levels tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both tools can help individuals, organizations, and communities make decisions about prevention measures.
On this page:
- CDC COVID-19 Community Levels
- Community Levels in Alaska
- DHSS COVID-19 Community Case Rates
- How to use these tools
- More information
CDC COVID-19 Community Levels
In February 2022, CDC introduced COVID-19 Community Levels as a tool to help individuals, organizations, and communities understand the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in their community and to make recommendations for prevention measures. CDC recommends that the Community Levels be used in concert with other data to guide prevention decisions.
The Community Levels range from "low," "medium," or "high," and they are updated weekly. Levels are based on a combination of 3 metrics:
- Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days
- New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days
- Percent of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients
Indian Health Service and Department of Defense hospitals are included in the calculation of the hospitalization metrics. Psychiatric and rehabilitation hospitals are excluded. As shown in the table below, the thresholds used to interpret the hospitalization metrics depend on the number of new cases.
|
New COVID-19 Cases |
Indicators | Low | Medium | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 200 | New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (7-day total) | <10.0 | 10.0-19.9 | ≥20.0 |
| Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average) | <10.0% | 10.0-14.9% | ≥15.0% | |
| 200 or more | New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (7-day total) |
NA
|
<10.0 | ≥10.0 |
| Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average) | NA | <10.0% | ≥10.0% |
As the table shows, if there were 200 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days, the Community Level is at least "medium" and cannot be "low," regardless of how few people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Conversely, if there were fewer than 10.0 hospitalizations per 100,000 population (7-day total) and fewer than 10.0% of staffed inpatient beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average), then the Community Level cannot be "high," regardless of how many new cases were reported.
Community Levels in Alaska
The Community Level is determined for each borough/census area in Alaska. The cases metric is specific to each borough/census area, but the hospitalization metrics are calculated by aggregating boroughs/census areas into Health Service Areas (HSAs), which are based on where residents from a given borough/census area are likely to receive inpatient hospital care.
Alaska's boroughs/census areas are divided among four HSAs. Data from all hospitals in an HSA are added together to calculate the hospitalization metrics.
While the hospitalization metrics are the same for all boroughs/census areas within an HSA, determining the Community Level depends on the number of cases specific to each borough/census area.
For example, if an HSA had 15 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, and 12% of the staffed inpatient beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, the Community Level for a borough/census area within that HSA could be either "medium" or "high," depending on the total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days for each borough/census area.
DHSS COVID-19 Community Case Rates
In April 2022, DHSS introduced Community Case Rates as a tool to complement the CDC's Community Levels. Community Case Rates are calculated for each borough/census area and reflect new COVID-19 cases reported in the past 7 days per 100,000 residents.
The thresholds for Community Case Rates are 50, 100, 200, and 400 cases per 100,000 residents. These thresholds reflect the variety of intensities of COVID-19 transmission observed in Alaska since the beginning of 2021.
How to use these tools
Individuals, organizations, and communities can use CDC Community Levels and DHSS Community Case Rates to guide decisions about prevention measures.
For example, community leaders in an area experiencing an outbreak might choose to recommend increasing non-pharmaceutical mitigation measures, such as masking and physical distancing, when the borough/census area's case rate is more than 400 cases per 100,000, even if the Community Level remained only "medium." Individuals, organizations, and communities also may wish to consider the upward or downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases when making decisions about prevention measures.
Uncertainty around duration of immunity, viral evolution, and the impact of seasonality on transmission rates make it difficult to predict the future course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals, organizations, and communities should remain flexible and alert to changing circumstances and updates to public health guidance.
Regardless of Community Level or Community Case Rate, key actions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 include improving ventilation; getting tested, staying home, and seeking treatment if symptoms develop; and staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccination.