A total of 15 more people testing positive to the COVID-19 virus boosted the statewide total to 272 on Easter Sunday, April 12, all in communities where others were already infected, with Alaska continuing to have the lowest infection rate of all states nationwide.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Sunday said that a total of 66 people have now recovered.
To date nobody has tested positive in Cordova. City officials here are in discussion over what further steps they can take to keep the pandemic out of town in advance of the Copper River wild salmon commercial fishery, set to begin in mid-May.
Processors have presented the community with a long list of precautionary measures that they say would protect the health of the community as well as their employees. Final decisions are yet to come.
DHSS officials said the 15 people testing positive for the 24-hour period ending at midnight April 11 included five in Anchorage, three in Fairbanks, three in Wasilla, and one each in Girdwood, Juneau and Ketchikan. The group includes seven male and eight female patients. One is under age 10, two are 10-19, two are 20-29, one is 30-39, one is 40-49, three are 50-59 , four are 60-69 and one is over the age of 80.
The number of those hospitalized, 31, and deceased, 8, remain unchanged.
Eleven more cases were reported on Saturday, April 11, for the 24-hour period ending at midnight April 10, bringing the weekend total to 26.
DHSS is posting online at noon daily on the status of the pandemic in Alaska.
State health officials on Saturday, April 11, reported 11 new people testing positive to COVID-19, three more hospitalized, eight newly recovered and the death of an eighth individual, bringing the total number of Alaskans infected to 257.
Even as the number of people infected nationally grew to 560,055 individuals, Alaska has maintained the lowest number of people testing positive. Nationwide through Sunday 22,090 people have succumbed to COVID-19 and 29,989 others have recovered
Starting Monday, April 13, testing will be available locally using the Abbott ID NOW machine that has arrived at the Ilanka Community Health Center.
State officials acknowledged on Friday, April 10, that an eighth person had died that morning in Fairbanks, but since they are updating statistics daily based on midnight of the previous day the death of the 73-year-old woman with underlying health issues was not officially reported until April 11.
In Cordova, debate continues on how to conduct the famed Copper River wild salmon opener that begins with much fanfare each year in mid-May, prompting a number of comments on the website keepcordovasafe.com.
