The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced 505 new COVID-19 cases in Alaska over the weekend, pushing the total positive case count to over 64,000. The state is now considered to be at high-risk level.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough is also considered to be high risk, with 11.39 cases per 100,000 people.
The new case count over the past three days includes 28 on the Kenai Peninsula. Affected peninsula communities include Seward with five cases, Kenai with six and Soldotna with 13 and one each in Kenai Peninsula Borough South, Sterling, Anchorage and Nikiski.
The new cases bring Alaska’s statewide total to 64,001, including 61,401 reported among residents and 2,600 reported among nonresidents.
The state also reported 176 new cases in Anchorage, 99 in Wasilla, 41 in Palmer, 30 in Fairbanks, 21 in Valdez, 16 in Eagle River, 13 in North Pole, 11 in Chugiak, seven in both Girdwood and Juneau, five in both the Bethel Census Area and Houston, four in both Willow and Ketchikan, three in both Kodiak and Delta Junction, two each in the Kusilvak Census Area, Copper River Census Area, Bethel, Petersburg, and Wrangell, and one each in Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula, Kotzebue, Mat-Su Borough, Meadow Lakes and the Nome Census Area.
Additionally, 17 new nonresident cases were also reported in Anchorage, Juneau, Kodiak, and other unconfirmed locations.
The state also reported four new hospitalizations and no new deaths among Alaska residents, bringing statewide totals to date to 1,370 and 309, respectively. As of Monday, there were 36 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Alaska, and one more under investigation for COVID-related illness. Eight of the patients were on ventilators.
Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.
