9 new COVID-19 cases reported day after largest spike in Alaska

Alaska saw nine new COVID-19 infections Sunday and three cases in seafood industry workers, according to the Department of Health and Social Services. The active number of cases reached 238 Sunday, the highest the state has seen since the pandemic began.

The new confirmed cases were in four communities, including four in Anchorage, two each in Fairbanks and North Pole and one in Palmer.

Three non-resident seafood workers also tested positive for COVID-19. Two of the employees are in the Anchorage Municipality and one is in the combined Bristol Bay and Lake and Peninsula boroughs, the department said. There have been 75 cases confirmed in non-residents.

In total, Alaska has had 661 COVID-19 cases. There have been 411 Alaskans to recover from the virus. On Saturday, the state announced the largest single-day increase with 29 new COVID-19 cases, although two cases were reclassified Sunday and placed into the non-resident category when it was discovered that the people had traveled to the Kenai Peninsula Borough from Outside.

Twelve Alaskans have died of the virus and the state reported Sunday that 12 people were currently hospitalized because of the virus or who potentially have COVID-19. Two people recently died after contracting the virus at a transitional care center in Anchorage. No new deaths or hospitalizations were reported Sunday.

The state had administered 73,467 COVID-19 tests as of Sunday.

[Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.]

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