Updated: 10:24 a.m. Wednesday, July 15
Statewide cases of infection of the novel coronavirus keep mounting, but recoveries are too.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Tuesday, July 14, announced 54 more Alaskans in nine communities had tested positive, plus 14 nonresidents.
Overall 1,579 residents have tested positive, plus 320 nonresidents.
Recovered cases now total 642, including 22 newly recovered cases recorded on Monday, July 13. Hospitalizations stand at 92, with five new hospitalizations, and the number of people who have succumbed to the virus remains at 17.
New resident cases include 18 in Anchorage, six in Wasilla, five in Fairbanks and Soldotna and two in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area, plus one each in Juneau, Palmer, Sterling and Yukon-Koyukuk Census area.
Nonresidents testing positive include seven in the municipality of Anchorage, including six seafood workers, a seafood worker and one other in Bristol Bay and Lake & Peninsula boroughs, one each in the Kenai Peninsula Borough North and the Petersburg Borough, plus three people at an unknown location.
Dr. Hannah Sanders, who serves as Cordova’s community medical director, said she is hopeful that everyone will continue to practice social distancing and wash their hands.
“I think we can win this battle if we all make the sacrifices right now that we need to,” she said. “People are paying attention and trying to follow guidelines. We are lucky here in Cordova because most people are respecting guidelines and following our testing recommendations.”
A total of 149,473 tests have now been conducted. The average percentage of daily positive test for the previous three days as of July 13 was 1.72 percent.
Updates on the impact of COVID-19 are posted daily at coronavirus-response-alaska-dhss.hub.arcgis.com.
For Cordova updates, visit the city’s COVID-19 dashboard here.
