COVID-19 case rates are continuing to rise in many Alaska communities. Statewide numbers are at all-time highs for 14-day average case rate (14.93 cases per 100,000 population) and percent positivity (3.84% for a 7-day rolling average). Alaska’s overall alert level continues to be high and trending up. We are urging Alaskans to exercise caution and take the following steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Get tested if you feel sick at all. Stay home and isolate; don’t be around others if you are not feeling well.
- If you test positive, let close contacts know so they can protect others.
- Quarantine for a full 14 days if you are a known close contact to a person with COVID.
- Consider getting tested 5-14 days after any possible exposure.
- Avoid the 3 C’s: Crowded settings, close contacts and confined spaces. Keep you contacts limited and your social circles small.
- Do the 3 W’s: Wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands.
DHSS today announced 143 new people identified with COVID-19 in Alaska. 142 are residents in 16 communities: Anchorage (78), Fairbanks (40), Palmer (5), Delta Junction (3), North Pole (3), Wasilla (3), Chugiak (2), and one each in Eagle River, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula Borough North, Kotzebue, Seward, Sterling, Tok and Utqiaġvik.
One new nonresident case was reported in Anchorage with a purpose still under investigation.
46 resident cases have been added to the data dashboard through data verification procedures. This brings the total number of Alaska resident cases to 8,405 and the total number of nonresident cases to 971. The current statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the past 14 days, is high.
Of the 142 Alaska residents, 69 are male and 73 are female. Six are under the age of 10; 13 are aged 10-19; 27 are aged 20-29; 31 are aged 30-39; 21 are aged 40-49; 21 are aged 50-59; 15 are aged 60-69; three are aged 70-79 and five are 80 or older.
There have been a total of 300 hospitalizations and 58 deaths, with no new deaths reported yesterday. Individuals who no longer require isolation (recovered cases) total 4,704.
There are currently 34 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are hospitalized and 17 additional patients who are considered persons under investigation (PUI) for a total of 51 current COVID-related hospitalizations. Six of these patients are on ventilators.
A total of 476,818 tests have been conducted, with 19,096 tests conducted in the previous seven days. The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous seven days is 3.84%.
Notes: This report reflects data from 12 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on October 3 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.
