DHSS Press Release: Twenty new cases of COVID-19 reported in 13 Alaska communities; five new nonresident cases

DHSS Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Clinton Bennett, DHSS, (907) 269-4996, clinton.bennett@alaska.gov

Twenty new cases of COVID-19 reported in 13 Alaska communities; five new
nonresident cases

June 17, 2020 ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced 20 new cases of COVID-19 in residents of 13 communities: Fairbanks (6), Anchorage (2), Palmer (2), Chugiak (1), Eagle River (1), Homer (1), Juneau (1), Ketchikan (1), Kodiak (1), North Slope Borough (1), Sitka (1), Soldotna (1) and Wrangell (1). This brings the total number of Alaska cases to 696.

Five new nonresident cases were also identified yesterday in:

  • Southeast Fairbanks Census Area (3) in mining
  • Ketchikan Gateway Borough (1) in seafood industry
  • Nome Census Area (1) in other industry

This brings the total number of nonresident cases to 82.

The Fairbanks cases are the first cases of COVID-19 reported for Fort Wainwright. Leadership at the army base provided a video update to their community yesterday informing them of the cases, the actions being taken by their public health team, and encouraging community members to remain vigilant in maintaining social distancing, regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, wearing a mask, and washing hands.

The Ketchikan Emergency Operations Center issued an updated press release today about their Alaska resident case letting the community know that the individual did not quarantine while waiting for their results from the airport testing and attended several social gatherings before being notified of the positive result. An extensive contact investigation is underway and individuals who may have been in close contact will be contacted by public health officials. This is an important reminder about how one individual’s actions can have a broad impact on an entire community.

Of the new Alaska cases, ten are male and ten are female. Three are under the age of 10; four are aged 10-19; four are aged 20-29; one is 30-39; five are aged 40-49 and three are aged 50-59. There have been a total of 55 hospitalizations and 12 deaths with one new hospitalization and no new deaths reported yesterday. Recovered cases now total 438, with nine new recovered cases recorded yesterday. A total of 77,709 tests have been conducted. The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous three days is 0.48%.

This report reflects data from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on June 16 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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