Alaska: Resident infections hit single-day high of 63

Fourteen non-residents also confirmed testing positive for virus

Numbers of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Alaska are mounting, with 78 new cases on Saturday, July 11, the highest single-day count yet, state health officials said.

That included 63 residents in 12 communities, mostly Anchorage and Fairbanks, plus another 14 nonresidents, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

“Today we have our highest daily count,” said Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer.

“This is the first day we have had more than 10 cases / 100,000 people. In this last week we have had a total of 482 cases (408 residents, 74 nonresidents) — almost 30 percent of all the cases we have had have happened in the last week.”

The resident cases include 29 in Anchorage, 23 in Fairbanks, two in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, and one each in Bethel, Eagle River, Houston, Juneau, Mat-Susitna Borough, North Pole, Palmer, Seward and Soldotna.

The nonresidents included seven engaged in mining in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, two visitors and two in unknown industries in Anchorage, two in unknown industries in the Bristol Bay and Lake & Peninsula boroughs, and one in an unknown industry in the Nome Census Area.

Advertisement

Even with a total of 1,385 residents and 273 nonresidents testing positive statewide, the number of recovered cases rose to 598, with 10 new recovered cases recorded on Saturday, July 11.  Five new hospitalizations brought that total to 85, and the death toll remained at 17, state health officials said.

In Anchorage, people waited in long lines of cars to get tested.

Zink posted on her Twitter account that Saturday was wearing her glasses when around others for eye protection and had removed rings for better hand washing.  She advised postponing any medical procedures that can safely be postponed.  The doctor also advised “no carpooling, only adventures we can drive to on our own,” and “touch base with friends and family who have to be around others for work or are higher risk making sure they have masks, food, eye protection and what they might need.”

And finally, Zink wrote on Twitter, “Remember we flattened the curve before. We can do it again.  What did you do then? Can you do it again?”

A total of 143,376 tests have now been conducted. The average percentage of daily positive test for the previous three days as of July 9 was 1.45 percent.

Updates on the impact of COVID-19 are posted daily at coronavirus-response-alaska-dhss.hub.arcgis.com.

Advertisement