Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 1 new death, 101 new cases reported Thursday

The state on Thursday reported one death and 101 new cases of COVID-19, more than half of them involving Anchorage residents.

The person who died was a male Anchorage resident in his 70s, according to state officials. The state announced two resident COVID-19 deaths Tuesday.

The state’s death rate, however, remains one of the lowest in the country. Forty Alaskans have now died with the virus, including two residents of the Anchorage Pioneer Home, one of multiple communal living settings in Anchorage dealing with outbreaks of COVID-19.

In addition to the 19 cases associated with the state assisted living facility, there are also 79 confirmed cases at the Brother Francis Shelter and 22 cases among residents and employees at the McLaughlin Youth Center, state and local health officials said this week. Cases have also been reported at schools around the state, including in Fairbanks, Mat-Su and Anchorage, where most recently a staffer at O’Malley Elementary School tested positive.

Citing suddenly rising numbers of coronavirus cases, North Slope Borough Mayor Harry K. Brower this week issued a two-week emergency order for residents to hunker down — staying home except for grocery shopping, seeking health care or getting fresh air — and wear a mask or face covering when in communal public spaces or during interactions with anyone outside their households. The order also calls on businesses to make soap, running water and hand sanitizer available and clean high-touch surfaces.

The Arctic Slope Native Association on Wednesday reported a total of 45 cases in the region, 14 of them considered active.

Statewide as of Thursday, 38 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized while five other hospital patients were awaiting test results, according to state data. Eight ventilators were being used by people with confirmed and suspected cases of the illness. Of Alaska’s 153 intensive care unit beds, 82 were in use statewide, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Active cases of COVID-19 among Alaska residents rose from 3,240 on Wednesday to 3,336 on Thursday. There were an additional 675 active cases among nonresidents.

Of the new cases, it wasn’t clear how many patients were showing symptoms of the virus when they tested positive.

Of the 97 new cases of COVID-19 involving residents, 51 were in Anchorage, plus two in Eagle River and one in Girdwood; two were in Kenai; two were in Kodiak; one was in Valdez; 17 were in Fairbanks and four were in North Pole; two were in Palmer and three were in Wasilla; one was in Utqiagvik; two were in Kotzebue; two were in Juneau; and one was in Wrangell. Among communities smaller than 1,000 that are not identified to protect resident confidentiality, there was one in Mat-Su; three in the Nome Census Area; one in the Northwest Arctic Borough; and one in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area.

Of the four nonresident cases, one was in Kodiak Island Borough, one was in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, one was in Anchorage and one was in an unknown location.

The state’s testing positivity rate as of Wednesday was 1.88% over a seven-day rolling average.

— Zaz Hollander