Alaska health officials Monday reported 25 new cases of COVID-19: 21 state residents and four nonresidents.
Two of the resident cases were confirmed in residents of Fairbanks North Star County, one from Fairbanks and one from the North Pole.
The other 19 resident cases were found in residents of six Alaska communities.
Seward surpassed Monday’s resident case count with eight new cases. Anchorage had six new confirmed cases. The Willow community had two more residents who tested positive, and Eagle River, Wasilla, and the Nome Census Area each saw a new case.
Four new cases of non-residents in three communities were confirmed. Two of these were reported in Seward and one in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna district. The purpose of each nonresident’s presence in the state is unclear. State data did not clarify whether the individuals were visitors or nonresident workers.
These new reports bring the total number of cases of state residents to 904 and the total number of cases of non-residents to 183.
No new deaths or hospitalizations were reported Monday. A total of 16 Alaska residents are currently hospitalized, either with a confirmed case of the disease or under investigation and awaiting test results.
Just over half of the state’s inpatient hospital beds are in use, and just under half of the state’s intensive care unit beds are in use. These data include patients with positive COVID-19 and without COVID-19.
About 40% of the state’s cases are considered active as of Monday. After a hiatus in large daily cases between mid-April and mid-May, the upward curve in disease reports began on May 22, the same day that Governor Mike Dunleavy implemented the final phase of his plan to reopen the state. At that point, the active case rate was around 10%.
The state Friday topped a combined total of 1,000 resident and nonresident cases. Case counts have reached record levels in recent weeks, but the Department of Health and Social Services has announced that it will cut the number of daily press releases on COVID-19 by more than half.
For months, the health department has issued a daily press release outlining case counts and more details about the cases listed on the state’s website, including each case’s age range, gender, and community of residence. .
The department now says publishing daily information for state residents is not “sustainable.”
“This change is intended to continue to provide the public with similar information, but in a way that will be more sustainable in the long term as the pandemic continues,” the statement said Sunday.
State press releases will be issued on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
For those who want to stay informed, the department’s COVID-19 data panel will be updated daily at: www.bit.ly/3g2wtBg, along with the department’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
A total of 108,709 tests have been performed to date.
The Fairbanks Regional Public Health Center, in cooperation with Fred Meyer, will launch its new free COVID-19 test station Tuesday at the Carlson Center. The station is currently planned to be open two days a week, but public health officials say that may change based on interest.
You can find more information by calling the Fairbanks Regional Public Health Center at 907-452-1776.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct that one of the non-resident cases is outside the Matanuska-Susitna district.
Contact writer Erin McGroarty at 459-7544 Follow her on Twitter: @FDNMpolitics.
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