Alaska confirmed cases of COVID-19 reaches 119

5 more people diagnosed in two days, one in long-term care facility

An illustration of the structure of a coronavirus. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

State health officials reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus in Alaska on Monday, March 30, two each in Anchorage and Fairbanks and one in Palmer, boosting the statewide total to 119 people.

Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said the newly diagnosed people include one man and four women, two of whom were in close contact with others who already tested positive and three others still under investigation to see if they got the virus through close contact, travel or the spread of the virus through their community.

All five were in the 30- to 59-year-old age range, Zink said.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported on Sunday, March 29, the death of a third COVID-19 patient, a 73-year-old Anchorage resident who tested positive on March 23 and was admitted to an Anchorage hospital, then passed away the night of March 28.

Those new cases brought the statewide total to Anchorage and Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson 61, Fairbanks 22, Ketchikan 13, North Pole 8, Juneau 5, Eagle River/Chugiak 5, Homer, 2 Palmer 3, Sterling 2, and Girdwood and Seward 1 each.

Zink said the state is working in its congressional delegation to get new rapid result test kits from Abbott Laboratories approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to rural areas of Alaska as soon as possible.

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“We know the fish are coming regardless of COVID-19,” she said.

The commercial fishing industry is particularly concerned about getting them to the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, where several thousand commercial fish harvesters and seafood processing workers will be passing through this spring on their way to rural fishing grounds. Zink said there are an increasing number of such test kits coming to the market and that buyers should be sure that the ones they purchase are trustworthy, so that they get accurate results. The 14-day quarantine for people coming into communities in Alaska is still the safest bet, she said.

The death toll of Alaskans from COVID-19 also includes one person who was being treated for an underlying illness at the Alaska Native Medical Center and a Petersburg resident who died in Washington state, where he was being treated for other medical issues.

State and local government officials are admonishing all Alaskans to wash hands frequently, keeping hands off of the face, keep a minimal six feet of space between themselves and others who are not immediate family and wipe down all frequently touched surfaces.

Also, in effect are statewide mandates for everyone entering Alaska, including residents coming home, to quarantine themselves for 14 days at home. Those battling respiratory infections, even with mild symptoms, are asked to isolate themselves from others and to call ahead if they need medical attention.

A growing number of rural communities, including Cordova, have also imposed their own requirement for everyone entering their community to self-isolate for 14 days.

On Thursday, March 26, the city of Saint Paul, in the Pribilof Islands, adopted a resolution banning all non-essential travel to the island through April 15. Fisheries-related businesses with state approved pandemic response plans are considered essential businesses and exempted.

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