A person who tested positive for COVID-19 in southwest Alaska died of complications from the disease after being transferred to an Anchorage hospital over the weekend, tribal health officials said.
That report comes a day after a 67-year-old Fort Yukon man died at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital with coronavirus. The Fort Yukon city manager confirmed Monday the death of a person from the Interior village, who is at the center of an outbreak. The man was rushed to Fairbanks Hospital before his death, according to city manager Andrew Firmin.
Tribal and municipal officials had enacted aggressive restrictions to keep the virus at bay due to its limited health care resources and extreme isolation.
The patient from the Yukon-Kuskowkim region tested positive for Bethel earlier and was in self-isolation and under daily monitoring when his symptoms worsened, according to a Monday statement from Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.
The patient arrived at the YKHC emergency room over the weekend and was transported to Anchorage for advanced care, officials with the health corporation wrote.
“It is with deep sadness that YKHC reports that the individual died of COVID-19 related complications while in Anchorage,” they said.
Twenty-one Alaska residents have died from the virus since the pandemic began in March, according to the COVID-19 panel from the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services. Yukon-Kuskokwim’s death did not appear to be reflected in those statistics.
The state reported 104 new COVID-19 infections in Alaska on Monday, including 98 in residents and 6 in nonresidents. There have been 116 people hospitalized with the virus since March. According to Monday’s report, 36 people were hospitalized with the virus.
In Anchorage, where many of the state’s sickest patients are treated, hospitals last week experienced a nearly 60% increase in COVID-19 patients: 14 people were hospitalized with the virus last Monday and 22 on last Friday.
The death in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region prompted a severe warning from the tribal health corporation that while the state relaxed health mandates in May, “as the YKHC has been declaring for several weeks, the pandemic and health risks public that raises are not over. ” “
There are no vaccines or medical treatments available at this time, authorities said. “Since we can never know when a COVID-19 will cause serious illness or death, we urge all YK Delta residents to remain vigilant and practice all known protective measures against COVID-19.”
Those include avoiding non-essential travel; be tested upon arrival at Bethel, St. Mary’s and Aniak airports when coming from outside the region; practicing regular hand washing; keep at least 6 feet away from non-household members; wearing a mask in public; and frequently disinfecting high-contact surfaces in the home.
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