On Thursday, the state reported that 17 more Alaskans tested positive for the coronavirus. The number of nonresident cases increased by seven.
The combined number of resident and nonresident cases of 24 was the third-highest daily total reported during the pandemic.
The Alaskans who tested positive live in Anchorage, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Juneau, Sitka, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kodiak and the Northwest Arctic Borough.
RELATED: As COVID-19 spikes in Alaska, Kenai Peninsula emerges as virus hotspot
Two of today’s cases are residents of Juneau. It’s unknown at this time how those individuals contracted the virus. There are currently four active cases in Juneau, while 33 individuals have recovered. The nonresident case reported discovered at the Juneau International airport on Wednesday is not included in these figures.
Two caregivers and two patients at the Providence Transitional Care Center in Anchorage have tested positive since Monday afternoon. Roughly a quarter of the total residents and caregivers at the facility have tested positive for the virus.
Five of the new nonresident cases work in the seafood industry, while two are listed as working in other industries. The total number of nonresident cases is 58.
The numbers reported today raise the total confirmed Alaskan cases to 610, with 397 recovered. The number of deaths remains at 11. There are 202 active cases, the highest number in the state since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 991 of 1,800 inpatient beds are occupied, including both those with and without COVID-19. 29 of 348 ventilators are being used. A total of 18 of those hospitalized and four on ventilators are either positive for COVID-19 or under investigation for it.
Jennifer Pemberton from KTOO and Tegan Hanlon from Alaska Public Media contributed reporting to this story.
Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.
