The death of an Anchorage man in his 60s has boosted the number of people who have succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Alaska to 23.
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services officials also reported on Thursday, July 30, that another 120 people have tested positive for COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at midnight July 29, including 84 residents in 16 communities and 36 nonresidents in Southcentral, the Interior, Southeast Alaska and other locations.
These numbers boosted the overall count of residents testing positive to 2,878 and nonresidents to 681, DHSS officials said. A total of 128 people have been hospitalized. Forty-five people make up current COVID-related hospitalizations, and another 885 people have recovered from the virus.
“This pandemic is not done with us yet,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Health Commissioner Adam Crum and chief state medical officer Dr. Anne Zink, in a joint statement. “COVID-19 is a serious disease for many and there is still no vaccine.”
State officials meanwhile issued a statement urging Alaskans to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet, to wear face masks and avoid large crowds.
The newly reported tests positive include 42 in Anchorage, seven each in the Northwest Arctic Borough and Wasilla, six in Fairbanks, four each in Palmer and Soldotna, two each in Juneau, Kotzebue and Big Lake and one each in the Bethel Census Area, Eagle River, Kenai, Kodiak, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Unalaska, Utqiagvik and Yakutat/Hoonah-Angoon census areas.
Anchorage leads the state in tests positive, with 1,576 cases, and 10 deaths among them.
Until Friday, July 31, there only one free COVID-19 test site in Anchorage, when five new COVID-19 test sites were scheduled, to provide free testing through Oct.20.
New nonresident cases included 23 seafood workers in Seward, one visitor in Soldotna, three seafood industry workers and one visitor in Juneau, one visitor in Wasilla, two people in Fairbanks and one in Anchorage and four at locations still under investigation.
As of July 30, 225,057 tests had been conducted. The average percentage of daily positive test for the previous three days as of July 30 was 2.44 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.
