Alaska saw a moderate increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases on Friday, four of which were on the Kenai Peninsula.
The state reported 67 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday — 53 resident cases and 14 nonresident cases. Four of those new cases are on the peninsula, with one new case each in Frtiz Creek, Sterling, Seward and Soldotna.
Cases reported by the state each day by noon reflect the cases that got reported to the state the previous day.
The state now has a total of 3,536 resident cases according to Alaska Department of Health and Social Services data on the state’s coronavirus response hub website. Of those, 2,449 cases are still active while 1,062 people are recovered or presumed recovered.
The state has a total of 752 nonresident cases, with 176 of those having recovered and 576 still active.
The new cases announced Friday are spread across several Alaska communities, with 28 new cases in Anchorage, one in Eagle River, one each in Fritz Creek, Seward, Sterling and Soldotna, five in Fairbanks, three in North Pole, one in Delta Junction, one in Kodiak, one in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, two in Palmer, one in Wasilla, one in Kotzebue, three in Juneau, and two in the Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula.
Of the new nonresident cases announced Friday, two are in Anchorage, one is in Seward, one is in Soldotna, eight are in the Kodiak Island Borough, one is in Fairbanks, and one is in Sitka.
The Kenai Peninsula now has a total of 312 cases, 209 of which are still active. Soldotna leads the cities on the peninsula in terms of the largest cumulative total of resident cases with 69, followed by Homer with 63 and Seward with 59. Kenai has had a total of 54 resident cases, while the “other South” category used for communities on the southern peninsula with populations of less than 1,000 people has had 31 total cases. With the addition of Friday’s new case, Fritz Creek now has a total of four cases, with two of them active.
There have been a total of 141 Alaska residents hospitalized for COVID-19, and a total of four nonresidents. Total hospitalizations includes people who have since died or since recovered.
The state has tallied 25 total Alaskans whose deaths were related to COVID-19.
According to state data on Friday, a total of 268,851 tests for the virus have been performed so far. As of Thursday, the state had a 7-day average positivity rate of 3.02%.
Locally, South Peninsula Hospital has conducted a total of 6,612 tests, according to hospital public information officer Derotha Ferraro. Of those, 6,366 tests have come back negative and 138 are still pending. The hospital has had a total of 108 positive test results since the pandemic began.
Testing
In Homer, testing continues to be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at South Peninsula Hospital’s main entrance as well as through SVT Health & Wellness clinics in Homer, Seldovia and Anchor Point. Call ahead at the hospital at 907-235-0235 and at the SVT clinics at 907-226-2228.
In Ninilchik, NTC Community Clinic is providing testing on Mondays, Wednesday and Friday. The testing is only for those traveling, symptomatic, needing testing for medical procedures, or with a known exposure after seven days. Only 20 tests will be offered per day. To make an appointment to be tested at the NTC Community Clinic, call 907-567-3970.
On the central peninsula, testing is available on the Central Peninsula at Capstone Family Clinic, K-Beach Medical, Soldotna Professional Pharmacy, Central Peninsula Urgent Care, Peninsula Community Health Services, Urgent Care of Soldotna, the Kenai Public Health Center and Odyssey Family Practice. Call Kenai Public Health at 907-335-3400 for information on testing criteria for each location.
Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.
