Gov. Mike Dunleavy at a press conference in Anchorage with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink on Friday, April 3, 2020. (Courtesy photo | Officer of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy at a press conference in Anchorage with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink on Friday, April 3, 2020. (Courtesy photo | Officer of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Zink: Assume virus is in communities

Alaska reports 1 death, 13 new cases

An Anchorage woman in her 40s has died as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the state reported Wednesday. The woman is the seventh Alaskan to die from the virus — two of whom died out of state. There were also four new hospitalizations Tuesday.

The state also reported 13 new confirmed cases, totaling 226 positive cases statewide. Of the new cases, six are in Anchorage, six are in Fairbanks and one is in Palmer. There are 32 recoveries being reported by the state. As of Wednesday, 7,068 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted.

The Anchorage woman who died was admitted to “a local hospital on April 5,” a Wednesday press release from the Department of Health and Social Services said. Her positive test result came back Tuesday.

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

Dr. Anne Zink, chief medical officer with the state, said the state received 50 rapid Abbott testing devices, 44 of which are being sent to 27 different communities across the state to boost rural testing capabilities. Seward, Soldotna, Homer and Kenai are communities listed to receive the testing machine. Zink said communities will be learning how to run the devices this week.

“This will really help our villages screen and test,” Zink said.

Zink is encouraging Alaskans living in communities with few or no positive cases to remain vigilant and act as if the disease is in the community.

“We all need to assume at this time that this is amongst our communities, for the most part,” Zink said.

The state has received some of the personal protective equipment they requested from the federal government, but worldwide shortages are making some supplies difficult to obtain. Zink said the state is estimating even more equipment than requested will be needed to bolster Alaska’s health care system. Dunleavy said the state is also working to manufacture its own equipment.

The state asked the federal government for 60 ventilators, 139,766 face shields, 317,281 gloves, 1,041,516 gowns, 3,117,328 N95 respirators, 1,113,906 surgical masks, 50 Abbott test kits and 50 powered air purifying respirators.

Out of the 139,766 face shields the state asked for, the federal government sent 6,144 shields. The federal government sent 121,100 gloves — about half of what was requested. Only 9,444 gowns were sent to the state and 165,160 N95 respirators. There were 175,700 surgical masks sent by the federal government. The federal government was able to fulfill in full the requests for ventilators, Abbott tests and powered air purifying respirators.

More in News

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $170,000 for new police camera system

The existing system was purchased only during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2024.

Winter Marshall-Allen of the Homer Organization for More Equitable Relations, Homer Mayor Rachel Lord, and Jerrina Reed of Homer PRIDE pose for a photo after the mayoral proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month on Tuesday, May 27 at the Cowles Council Chambers. (Photo courtesy of Winter Marshall-Allen)
City of Homer recognizes Pride Month, Juneteenth

Mayor Rachel Lord brought back the tradition of mayoral proclamations May 12.

File
Potential remains of missing Texas boaters discovered in sunken vessel

The vessel capsized 16 miles west of Homer in Kachemak Bay in August.

A sign for The Goods Sustainable Grocery is seen in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
New Saturday Market to launch this summer at The Goods

The summer bazaar will feature craftspeople from around the central and southern Kenai Peninsula.

Council member Alex Douthit speaks during a meeting of the Kenai City Council in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai loosens restrictions on employee purchase of city property

Municipal officers like city council members are still prohibited from buying property.

Mount Spurr is seen from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, on May 11, 2025. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Likelihood of Spurr eruption continues to decline

Spurr is located about 61 miles away from Kenai and 117 miles away from Homer.

Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce President Dawson Slaughter (left) and Susie Myhill, co-owner of Anchor River Lodge and co-chair for the chamber’s sign committee, unveil the new “most westerly highway point” sign on Tuesday in Anchor Point. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Anchor Point chamber unveils new highway sign

The sign marks the “most westerly” highway point in North America.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
1 dead in Anchor River vehicle turnover

Alaska State Troopers were notified at 7:46 a.m. of a vehicle upside down in the Anchor River.

The barge, crane, and first pile of rock for the Kenai Bluff Stabilization Project is seen during a break in work at the bank of the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai bluff project underway

A roughly 5,000-foot-long berm will be constructed from the mouth of the Kenai River to near the city dock.

Most Read