Seafood processor outbreaks drive coronavirus count to one-day high

A microscopic image of coronavirus (Photo from NIAID)

Alaska again set a one-day record for new coronavirus cases, with 231 reported on Sunday, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard. 

Of those, 158 were in residents of Anchorage, where a seafood processing plant reported 56 cases on Friday. 

With Sunday’s numbers, the state reached 2,524 reported cases of COVID-19 for residents, and 587 for nonresidents. 

RELATED: Seafood companies kept COVID-19 from infecting Alaskans. Now they’re trying to keep the virus out of their plants.

Over 30 of the nonresident cases were reported in Seward, where an outbreak at a seafood processor there has also infected about 100 people. 

35 people are in the hospital with COVID-19, while another eight are in the hospital with COVID-19-like symptoms awaiting test results. That number has been steadily increasing over the last week, and some models show it could increase substantially in the coming weeks. Four Alaskans with COVID-19 are now on ventilators, up two from yesterday’s report. Still, the number of available hospital beds, ventilators, and ICU beds remains in the ‘green’ level, the state reports. 

Lex Treinen

Lex Treinen is covering the state Legislature for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at ltreinen@gmail.com.

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