The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced Thursday 142 new COVID-19 cases. Of those, 130 are residents.
Affected communities include Anchorage with 67 cases, Utqiagvik with 15 cases, Fairbanks with 15 cases, Juneau with eight cases, Bethel Census Area with five cases, Nome Census Area with four cases, Northwest Arctic Borough with four cases, North Pole with three cases, Wasilla with three cases, Eagle River with two cases and one case each in Bethel, Chugiak, Denali Borough, Douglas, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Kenai, North Slope Borough, Palmer, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Seward and Sitka.
Additionally, 12 new nonresident cases were announced: eight in Anchorage, two in Fairbanks, one in Utqiagvik and one in an unknown location.
The new cases, as well as the removal of two resident cases from the data through verification processes, bring Alaska’s statewide total to 8,081, including 7,132 resident cases and 949 nonresident cases.
The state also reported five new hospitalizations and one new death. The person who died was a male in his 50s from the Fairbanks area. Statewide, 275 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 46 people have died.
The statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the last two weeks, is high.
The average daily positivity rate in Alaska for the past seven days, during which 12,486 tests were conducted, is 2.09%. To date, 438,368 tests have been conducted in Alaska. Over the past week, the Kenai Peninsula Borough conducted 314 tests and saw a 2.23% positivity rate, according to DHSS’ Coronavirus Response Hub.
Locally, South Peninsula Hospital has conducted 9,071 tests with 8,759 negative, 114 positive and 198 pending results.
Statewide 2,567 people have recovered from COVID-19.
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 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 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.
View the interactive map below to learn more about each testing location on the peninsula.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
