Twenty-seven teenagers at the Alaska Military Youth Academy are in isolation after nine of the youths tested positive for COVID-19, state officials said Tuesday.
A cadet at the Alaska Military Youth Academy in Anchorage tested positive for the illness on Thursday after going to the doctor for a separate medical condition, said Jeremy Zidek, public information officer with the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, on Tuesday evening.
After that initial positive result, a group of 27 cadets with either symptoms of the illness or close contact with the initial case was identified, Zidek said. Of that group, 11 cadets who were showing symptoms of COVID-19 were tested, he said, and nine received positive results. Their symptoms have been mild, like fatigue and a light cough — fairly ordinary for this time of year, according to Zidek.
“There hasn’t really been any severe illness amongst the cadets,” Zidek said.
Alaska is seeing a major surge in COVID-19 cases statewide, recording its highest daily case tallies over the last several days.
In total, 27 Alaska Military Youth Academy cadets are isolating from one another and the rest of the academy, Zidek said.
Another sixty-seven cadets weren’t experiencing symptoms and didn’t have close contact with the person who initially tested positive, Zidek said. The academy plans to test the rest of the cadets and staff multiple times in the coming weeks, he said.
“All of the cadets are under the care of trained professionals including our nursing staff. None of the cadets are experiencing symptoms that require hospitalization, and many are anxious to return to normal activities," Alaska Military Youth Academy director David Mcphetres said in a prepared statement. “The recovering cadets will remain away from the non-symptomatic cadets for at least ten days after they are symptom free."
Officials from the youth academy planned to meet virtually with parents on Tuesday evening to address concerns, Zidek said.
“Campus sanitization, hand washing, hygiene, social distancing, and mask wear are reinforced constantly,” the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said in a statement.
The Alaska Military Youth Academy is located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which recently moved into a more restrictive health protection condition level amid rising case counts on and off base.