In the run-up to the Independence Day weekend, Alaska recorded another death and another record daily count of new COVID-19 cases involving Alaska residents and non-residents, data showed on Friday.
A 15th Alaskan died of the virus, according to data released Friday by the state health department. Clinton Bennett, a department spokesman, said a statement would be released later on Friday containing details of the new death.
The data did not immediately clarify when or where the death occurred, or in which community Alaska lived. Of the 14 deaths previously announced by the state, four involved people from Alaska who were out of state when they died.
The state reported 60 new cases on Friday, of which 46 involve residents and 14 involve people from out of state. Since the pandemic began, 1,063 Alaska residents and 223 non-Alaska residents have tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus.
As of Friday, there were 680 active cases of COVID-19 in Alaska among residents and outsiders, another high since the virus was first detected in the state.
Southcentral Alaska saw another jump in cases, with 19 cases of Anchorage residents and two cases involving people from Eagle River. The Matanuska-Susitna district recorded three new cases among Wasilla residents, one among Willow residents and one involving someone from Houston.
Fairbanks also reported 11 new COVID-19 cases among residents and two cases involving outsiders, according to state data.
In Seward, where officials implemented business capacity restrictions, picking up size limits and mask requirements this week, there were three new cases among residents and two cases among nonresidents. Elsewhere on the Kenai Peninsula, a Soldotna resident also tested positive for the disease.
There was also one case each reported among residents of Juneau, Nome, Bethel, and smaller, unspecified communities in the Valdez-Cordova census area and the Kusilvak census area. The state does not report the name of communities of less than 1,000 people as a means of privacy protection.
Among the other 10 out-of-state cases reported on Friday, seven involved fishing industry workers in the Bristol Bay and Lake & Peninsula districts, while one involved a visitor to Dillingham, which the city announced Thursday.
State data showed two other non-Alaska residents in unknown parts of the state tested positive for the disease.
There were 25 people with suspected or confirmed cases of the disease in the hospital, according to state data on Friday, seven times more than the day before. Of those 25, three were on fans, the data showed. The state reported a new hospitalization in one person with a confirmed case of the disease on Friday.
State data showed 4,299 COVID-19 tests were completed Thursday, according to the state health department. On Wednesday, 1,509 tests were completed, and 2,215 were completed on Tuesday, according to state data. The state test numbers reflect the number of tests run, and not the number of individuals that were tested.
The state reports new cases daily that reflect test results returned the previous day.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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