The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 296 new COVID-19 cases in Alaska on Thursday, including 14 on the Kenai Peninsula.

Affected peninsula communities include Soldotna with six cases, Kenai with three cases, Sterling with two cases, Homer with one case, “other North” with one case and Seward with one case.

Over the past week, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has conducted 936 tests and saw a positivity rate of 11.11%.

The new cases bring Alaska’s statewide case total to 18,174, including 17,072 residents and 1,102 nonresidents. According to the DHSS’s Coronavirus Response Hub, there are currently 10,965 active cases of COVID-19 in the state and 678 active cases in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

The statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the last two weeks, is high at 49.7. The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s alert level is also high at 48.71.

High risk is defined as more than 10 cases per 100,000 people, intermediate risk is five to 10 cases per 100,000 people and low risk is fewer than five cases per 100,000 people.

The state reported 10 new hospitalizations and no new deaths. To date, 465 Alaska residents have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 25 on the peninsula. Eighty four Alaskans have died, including four on the peninsula.

Currently, there are 109 people hospitalized in Alaska who are COVID-19 positive or who are considered persons under investigation for the disease. Seven of the patients are on ventilators.

Alaska’s daily positivity rate for the past seven days, during which 29,173 tests were conducted, is 7.15%. To date, 781,758 tests have been conducted in Alaska.

In addition to the 14 cases reported on the peninsula Thursday, the state also reported 136 cases in Anchorage, 34 cases in Bethel, 20 cases in Fairbanks, 17 cases in Wasilla, 14 cases in Eagle River, 12 cases in Palmer, seven cases in Chugiak, seven cases in Utqiagvik, five cases in Ketchikan, four cases in Chevak, three cases in Bethel Census Area, three cases in North Pole, three cases in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, two cases in Juneau and one case each in Big Lake, Delta Junction, Douglas, Kodiak, Nome, Nome Census Area, Sitka, Unalaska, Willow and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area.

Five nonresident cases were also reported. Three have locations still under investigation, one was reported in Wasilla and one was reported in Prudhoe Bay.

Statewide 6,476 Alaska residents have recovered from COVID-19, including 430 on the Kenai Peninsula.

Testing locations on the Kenai Peninsula

On the central peninsula, testing is available 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.

In Homer, testing is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the lower level of South Peninsula Hospital’s Specialty Clinic 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 Monday, 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.

In Seward, testing is available at Providence Seward, Seward Community Health Center, Glacier Family Medicine and North Star Health Clinic.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.