The latest person to contract COVID-19 in Alaska is an Anchorage man, and he brings the state total to 371 positive cases.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced Tuesday in a press release that only one new case of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus was reported the day before. The man is in his 30s. Cases reported to the state are recorded on the state’s coronavirus response website the following day.
There have been no new Alaska deaths — that number remains at nine. The state reports one new hospitalization for a cumulative total of 38. This is the number that includes people currently hospitalized, but also those who have since gotten better or since died.
The number of people currently being hospitalized in the state is 13. These are people who either have confirmed cases of COVID-19 or haven’t yet tested positive, but have symptoms.
According to data on the state’s coronavirus website, the latest case announced in Homer — a man in his 60s whose case was announced Sunday — has been hospitalized.
So far, 277 Alaskans have gone on to recover from the disease, the state reports.
The state’s 371 cases are spread out across 25 Alaska communities. As of Tuesday evening, there are 169 cases in Anchorage, six in Chugiak, 12 in Eagle River and three in Girdwood. In the Fairbanks North Star Borough, there are 64 cases in Fairbanks, 18 in North Pole and one in a community labeled “other.” In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, there are nine cases in Palmer and 12 in Wasilla. In the Southeast, Juneau has 27 cases, Ketchikan has 16, Petersburg has four, Craig has two and Sitka has one. Bethel, Kodiak, Nome, Delta Junction and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area each have one case.
On the Kenai Peninsula, Anchor Point has had two cases, Homer has four, Kenai has four, Soldotna has six, Seward has three and Sterling has three. Of these cases, one is a Homer resident who was tested and isolated in Anchorage, and one was an Anchor Point man in his 30s who died outside of Alaska.
Of the three cases actually within the Homer community, one is travel related and two are from community transmission. In addition to the Homer man in his 60s who was hospitalized, an Anchor Point man in his 80s whose case was reported Thursday was hospitalized as well.
Another Homer person reported to have COVID-19 last Thursday, a woman in her 60s, told the Homer News on Tuesday that she is recovering and feeling better, though she remains in quarantine.
Locally, South Peninsula Hospital has collected 393 samples for testing, according to Public Information Officer Derotha Ferraro. Of those, four have come back positive, 331 have come back negative and 58 are still pending.
Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.
