DHSS Press Release: Eleven new cases of COVID-19 reported in six Alaska communities; one new death

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eleven new cases of COVID-19 reported in six Alaska communities; one new death

June 9, 2020 ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced one new death and 11 new cases of COVID-19 in six communities: Anchorage (6), Anchor Point (1), Haines (1), Kotzebue (1), Nome (1) and Kenai Peninsula Borough (1).

Two new nonresident cases were identified in seafood industry workers. One case is in the Aleutians East Borough and one case is in the combined Bristol Bay & Lake and Peninsula boroughs. Another case previously reported as an Alaska case in the Kenai Peninsula Borough has been reclassified as a nonresident case after follow-up interviews were conducted. That brings the total number of nonresident cases to 49 and Alaska cases to 573.

The individual who died was a resident at the Providence Transitional Care Center. The facility identified its first case of COVID-19 on May 29 and through subsequent testing of residents and caregivers have identified a total of 41 cases as of June 8. Providence Health & Services Alaska is providing updates to the community on their website. This brings the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Alaska to 11.

“Learning of this person’s death from COVID-19 hits us hard at DHSS and we join the family and loved ones in mourning their loss,” said Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink. “Providence is aggressively responding to this outbreak but this just shows how we’re all connected and why each of us must be diligent in doing everything we can to prevent the spread of this disease in our communities.”

The case in Haines is the first for that community and is still under investigation. The Haines Emergency Operations Center issued a press release yesterday announcing the case and reminding community members about the importance of continuing with prevention measures and getting tested at the first sign of illness.

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) announced today six additional Alaska Marine Highway employees tested positive for COVID-19. Upon the M/V Tustumena’s return to Homer after a crew member was identified as having COVID-19 during a stop in Unalaska, the remaining crew and six passengers were tested onboard the vessel by South Peninsula Hospital. The individuals who tested positive are receiving health guidance and will be isolated. These six cases will be reported in tomorrow’s case count update. The June 9 press release from DOT&PF provides further details.

Of the new Alaska cases, seven are male and four are female. Two are under the age of 10; two are aged 10-19; three are aged 30-39; one is aged 40-49; two are aged 60-69 and one is aged 70-79. There have been a total of 49 hospitalizations with one new hospitalization reported yesterday. Recovered cases now total 389, with five new recovered cases recorded yesterday. A total of 66,890 tests have been conducted.

This report reflects data from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on June 8 that posted at noon today on the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub. Please note that upon further investigation and interviews, data points for cases – such as the date and residence – may on occasion change on the data dashboard after they are announced.

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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.

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