Gov. Mike Dunleavy at an Anchorage news conference on Sept. 15 (Courtesy photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy at an Anchorage news conference on Sept. 15 (Courtesy photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Dunleavy: Virus in ‘acceleration phase’

The state health department reported about 880 new confirmed cases over the weekend

By Becky Bohrer

Associated Press

JUNEAU — The state’s chief medical officer is urging Alaska residents to avoid all activities with people outside their households, especially indoor activities, citing a rapid increase in reported COVID-19 cases.

“If you must be around others – wear a mask and stay distanced at least 6 feet,” Dr. Anne Zink said on her Facebook page Sunday.

The state health department reported about 880 new confirmed cases over the weekend, including a new-daily high of 526 cases, which included six nonresidents, on Sunday. Nearly 350 additional cases were reported Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The department over the weekend attributed the numbers to widespread community transmission, increased testing in many areas and public health staff entering backlogged case information. It may take “several days” before cases are entered into the system, the department said.

More than 13,300 resident cases have been reported since the start of the pandemic, with the state’s more populous regions as well as parts of rural Alaska, including the Yukon-Kuskokwim region, currently considered in high alert status. That means there is broad community transmission “with many undetected cases and frequent discrete outbreaks,” according to the health department.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., which administers a health care system throughout dozens of rural communities, has urged residents there to avoid nonessential travel and gatherings, along with the now-standard advice of wearing a mask in public, maintaining distance from others and regularly washing hands.

The corporation, in a status report Friday, said that without an “immediate broad behavior change by the public, cases of this highly contagious virus will continue to climb.”

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute said Friday it would not admit new clients for 14 days after several patients were diagnosed with COVID-19.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state has entered an “acceleration phase,” but on his Facebook page said “this is not unexpected as Alaskans moved indoors with the changing seasons.” Alaska is known for its long, dark, cold winters. He cited as positives the state’s hospitalization and mortality rates and said the state is “doubling down” on efforts to ensure it has sufficient resources to respond to coronavirus cases.

Alaska is among the states that have reported the fewest COVID-19-related deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Case Tracker. The state health department reports 68 such deaths.

There is no statewide mask mandate, though some communities, such as Juneau, require masks in certain indoor public spaces. The state will not mandate a vaccine once one becomes available, Dunleavy told reporters last week.

He said he’s changed his routine in response to COVID-19, including conducting most meetings online or by phone and wearing masks “often,” though he said there are times he won’t wear one, such as when he’s speaking to people.

“And I understand that that increases the risk, but I also understand that all of the other mitigation efforts that I’m doing is also contributing to lowering the risk,” he said, adding that he’s “ramping up my game” on a personal level.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin recently told reporters there are people who don’t want to participate in contract tracing.

“My nursing staff frequently reports getting hung up on by people that they’re trying to notify,” he said, adding that could be due to such things as COVID-19 “fatigue” — people being fed up with the virus — or job-related pressures.

Mandates and restrictions in places like Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, fueled a backlash from people who saw the actions as overreaching.

But Victoria Miller, a nurse practitioner who works in telemedicine in Anchorage, said she has no problem when she’s out in public asking someone who is not wearing a mask to wear one and has considered bringing masks with her to share.

“They just kind of roll their eyes and keep going,” she said of the typical response, adding she thinks it’s important to say something anyway.

More in News

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Kenai wildlife refuge seeking information on missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Board President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough school board to finalize budget

The new budget designed by the committee will be considered at a public hearing during the full board meeting on Monday evening.

Most Read