DHSS Press Release: Four new cases of COVID-19 reported in three Alaska communities; one new nonresident case reported in a seafood industry worker in Anchorage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Four new cases of COVID-19 reported in three Alaska communities; one nonresident case reported in a seafood industry worker in Anchorage

May 17, 2020 ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced four new cases of COVID-19 in three Alaska communities – Anchorage (2), Juneau (1) and Homer (1)). This brings the total Alaska case count to 396.

These cases reflect data from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on May 16 that posted at noon today on the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub.

The new Juneau case identified yesterday was a staff member at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center (LCCC). This is the 11^th LCCC staff member to test positive for COVID-19. All staff and inmates were tested late last week at the facility with more test results due back soon. So far, no inmates have tested positive.

Nonresident cases are not part of the Alaska case counts; they are listed separately. Another nonresident case in Alaska was identified yesterday in a seafood worker who is still under quarantine in Anchorage. Due to a data lag, this case is not yet listed in the nonresident count on the website but will be added later today or as soon as the website can be updated.

“We know this is concerning to hear about another seafood industry case, but we continue to be reassured that these cases are being detected and contained,” said Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink.  “All of the safeguards designed to prevent COVID-19 from spreading or entering new communities while allowing essential business to continue in Alaska are helping detect cases before these individuals leave quarantine.”

There is now a total of 10 nonresident cases; five of those have been in seafood workers, two in visitors, two in airline industry workers and one identified with the mining industry.

Of the new Alaska resident cases, two are male and two are female. One is aged 10-19, two are aged 30-39 and one is aged 50-59. There have been a total of 43 hospitalizations and 10 deaths with no new hospitalizations or deaths reported yesterday. Recovered cases still total 344, with no new recovered case recorded yesterday. A total of 34,651 tests have been conducted.

Stay informed

• Alaska’s response
• United States response
• Global response

Questions about COVID-19?

• For general questions and assistance, please call 2-1-1.
• For the general public, questions regarding DHSS COVID response, including mandates and alerts, can be sent to covidquestions@alaska.gov.
• Data questions can be sent to data.coronavirus@alaska.gov
• For DHSS media inquiries, please contact clinton.bennett@alaska.gov.

###