Alaska COVID-19 Case Count Summary: Sept. 25, 2020

CASE COUNT SUMMARY, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020

DHSS today announced six deaths and 128 new people identified with COVID-19 in Alaska. 127 are residents in 17 communities:  Anchorage (68), Fairbanks (22), North Pole (9), Juneau (6), Chugiak (3), Nome Census Area (3), Utqiaġvik (3), Bethel Census Area (2), Eagle River (2), Kotzebue (2), and one each in Bethel, Bristol Bay and Lake and Peninsula Boroughs combined, Delta Junction, Palmer, Soldotna, Wasilla, and Yukon Koyukuk Census Area. One nonresident case was reported in Anchorage with the purpose for the visit under investigation.  

Five resident cases and two nonresident cases have been removed from the data dashboard through data verification processes.  This brings the total number of Alaska resident cases to 7,254 and the total number of nonresident cases to 948. The current statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the past 14 days, is high.

Of the 127 Alaska residents, 63 are male and 64 are female. Five are under the age of 10; 17 are aged 10-19; 36 are aged 20-29; 18 are aged 30-39; 18 are aged 40-49; 15 are aged 50-59; 13 are aged 60-69; four are aged 70-79; and one is aged 80 or older.  

There have been a total of 277 hospitalizations and 52 deaths with two new hospitalizations and six deaths added yesterday.  Our thoughts are with their loved ones and families. More details below. 

Data for patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 or under investigation for COVID-19 is temporarily unavailable.  Please see the September 23 case count summary for an explanation of changes being made to the hospital dashboard.  Individuals who no longer require isolation (recovered cases) total 2,778.  

A total of 441,332 tests have been conducted, with 11,807 tests conducted in the previous seven days. The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous seven days is 2.31%.

Update on COVID-19 deaths

Six COVID-19 deaths were added to the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub today.

One of the deaths was recent.  This person was a male Anchorage resident in his 60s.

Five of the deaths were not recent and were coded as COVID-19 deaths by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NCHS reviews and codes all death certificates nationwide.  

Four of these persons died in Alaska.

• A male Anchorage resident in his 60s who died in July
• A male Fairbanks resident in his 60s who died in August
• A male Anchorage resident in his 50s who died in August
• A male resident of the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in his 70s who died in August

One of these persons died out-of-state.  This person was a male in his 70s who had listed Soldotna as his place of residence.

DHSS learns about most COVID-19 deaths by reporting from health care facilities. Because COVID-19 is a reportable infectious condition, hospitals report cases of COVID-19 directly to DHSS. COVID-19 deaths should also be reported to DHSS; however, not all deaths are captured. 

There are many reasons a death might not get reported to DHSS from health care facilities – some patients may remain hospitalized for a long time and have a complex death process, others may be discharged and die at home, and others may be visiting or living in another state but still have Alaska listed as their primary residence.

DHSS is aware that how COVID-19 deaths are counted generates a great deal of interest. To review this process, please visit the Reporting COVID deaths webpage.

Notes: This report reflects data from 12 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on September 24 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