Updated 8:45 p.m., June 4, 2020.
Eight more Alaskans have tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the statewide number of infected residents to 513, along with 18 more nonresidents, mostly seafood workers, boosting that total to 41, state health officials said on Thursday, June 4.
Ten of the nonresidents are in the Valdez-Cordova census area, three are in the Aleutians West census area, two are in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, one in the municipality of Anchorage, one in the Kodiak Island Borough and one “other industry” case in the Sitka City and Borough.
The eight resident cases include four in Anchorage, plus one each in Homer, Soldotna, Big Lake and Anchor Point.
A total of 48 people have been hospitalized and 10 have died. Recovered cases total 376, including three new recoveries reported on Wednesday, June 3. A total of 60,097 Alaskans have now been tested.
All three of the Aleutians West census area cases are in the seafood industry at Unalaska. All were asymptomatic and in quarantine at the time of testing and tested as part of the workforce protection plan of their employer, who was not identified.
The 10 people who tested positive for the Valdez-Cordova census area are seafood workers in Whittier. Their employer was not identified. An additional nonresident case was recorded at Whittier on June 1, putting that city’s total at 11. State health officials said the city of Whittier and Whittier Seafoods are working together and in coordination with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to respond to the cluster of cases.
The workers had been quarantined upon their arrival in Whittier on their employer’s campus, screened daily and tested. When one worker tested positive additional testing was initiated to identify other positive cases and track people whom they had been in close contact with. All 10 are now isolated, being monitored and receiving medical care.
The Whittier Clinic is offering testing to community members, whether or not they are symptomatic.
“All Alaskans should continue to maintain social distancing and keep social circles small,” said state medical director Dr. Anne Zink. “We can’t underscore that enough; the more mixing occurs, the more we will continue to see these outbreaks.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has continued to emphasize the importance of reopening the economy of Alaska. Since the pandemic began, thousands of residents have lost jobs, and the economic impact on businesses large and small has been significant. The governor said he expected the number of people testing positive for the virus to rise as the economy continued to open, but that at this point state medical facilities were adequate to care for those infected.
