DHSS Monday announced 39 new people identified with COVID-19 in Alaska. 37 are residents in five communities: Anchorage (29), Fairbanks (4), Nome Census Area (2) and one each in Juneau and North Pole.
Two nonresident cases were reported in:
- Anchorage: 1 other industry
- Bethel: 1 other industry
The total number of Alaska resident cases is 5,263 and the total number of nonresident cases to 862. The current statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the past 14 days, is intermediate.
Of the 37 Alaska residents, 25 are male and 12 are female. One is under the age of 10; five are aged 10-19; eight are aged 20-29; seven are aged 30-39; two are aged 40-49; five are aged 50-59; three is aged 60-69; two are aged 70-79 and four are aged 80 or older.
There have been a total of 219 hospitalizations and 37 deaths with four new hospitalization and no new deaths reported Sunday. There are currently 37 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are hospitalized and two additional patients who are considered persons under investigation (PUI) for a total of 39 current COVID-related hospitalizations. Individuals who no longer require isolation (recovered cases) total 2,044.
A total of 348,630 tests have been conducted, with 8,892 tests conducted in the previous seven days. The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous seven days is 1.82%.
Anchorage Pioneer Home update
Testing continues at the Anchorage Pioneer Home with one additional staff member testing positive for COVID-19 last week. This staff member has been working from home for three weeks and has not had any contact with residents at the home. There have not been any new positive COVID-19 test results from residents. To date, there have been a total of five staff members who tested positive for COVID-19, including the one mentioned above. Of those five, three have been released from isolation (recovered). There have been a total of 14 elders who have tested positive for COVID-19. Ten have recovered, two are still being monitored – one of whom is in the hospital – and another elder who was positive for COVID-19 recently died. Our thoughts are with the person’s family and loved ones. This brings the total number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and died to two.
Testing in different parts of the home continues at varying frequencies, based on whether positive results have been identified recently. In neighborhoods with recent positives, staff and residents are tested every three to four days; neighborhoods that have two weeks of negative results move to weekly testing.
McLaughlin Youth Center update
Three youth and three staff tested positive for COVID-19 for a total of six new cases identified at McLaughlin Youth Center (MYC). The staff members who tested positive are in isolation until they are cleared by public health officials and it is safe to return to work. Youth who have tested positive for COVID-19 are not experiencing symptoms and are being isolated from other youth and staff. Youth and staff members at the facility will be tested weekly. To date, the total number of cases at MYC is 22 including 15 youth and seven staff members. MYC is still admitting new residents who are tested upon admission, placed in a quarantine unit for 14 days and given another test prior to the end of their time in the quarantine unit. Visitation is still suspended at the facility.
Notes: This report reflects data from 12 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on August 30 that posted at noon today on the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub. There is a lag between cases being reported on the DHSS data dashboard and what local communities report. Each case is an individual person even if they are tested multiple times. Total tests are a not a count of unique individuals tested and includes both positive and negative results. The current number of hospitalized patients represents more real-time data compared to the cumulative total hospitalizations. To view more data visit: data.coronavirus.alaska.gov
