Cordova’s medical response team reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, July 10. These cases were travel-related, according to a release by the city.
Dr. Hannah Sanders, medical director for Cordova Community Medical Center, urged the public to return to the high level of conscientiousness that was common when the coronavirus pandemic first emerged.
“We need everybody to go back to that level of caution,” Sanders said. “We need to be patient with each other, be kind, and try to work together to contain this by following the guidelines.”
The community’s first four coronavirus cases were Ocean Beauty Seafoods employees who tested positive shortly after arriving in Cordova, all of whom have since recovered. The community’s fifth case was a passenger arriving from Bellingham, Washington by ferry. The community’s sixth case, identified Monday, July 6, was a traveler returning from Anchorage. The community’s seventh case, identified Wednesday, July 8, was a Cordova City Hall employee who was apparently infected through community contact and not as a result of travel. An eighth case, also non-travel-related, was reported Thursday, July 9.
Overall, 10 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Cordova, of which four have recovered. However, it remains likely that there are more local cases of the virus that have yet to be identified, according to a release from the city.
“Because the virus can be spread unknowingly by asymptomatic individuals, we each have to step up our precautions,” City Manager Helen Howarth said in a release. “We owe it to our family, friends and neighbors. Through our individual action, we have the power to control the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”
As of July 10, 1,702 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Cordova, according to data published by the city. Community health care providers have the capacity to perform at least 1,100 more tests.
