Two more people have died and another was hospitalized due to COVID-19, the state’s Department of Health and Social Services reported Tuesday. The deaths occurred mid-August, according to the latest data on Alaska’s Coronavirus Response Hub.
The state also reported 36 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Of the 36 new cases, only one is a nonresident. Two of the resident cases were identified on the Kenai Peninsula. The peninsula has seen 32 cases in the last 14 days, and 572 cases since the state began tracking the pandemic in March.
The number of Alaskans who have recovered from the disease caused by COVID-19 is now 2,051, with seven additional recoveries reported Tuesday.
Statewide there have been 374,255 COVID-19 tests conducted as of Tuesday. The positivity rate of tests processed in the last seven days is 1.81%. On the Kenai Peninsula, 16,449 tests have been conducted, with a seven-day positivity rate of .5%. Central Peninsula Hospital has conducted 4,597 of those tests. Of those, 110 tests have come back positive, 4,437 have come back negative and 46 are pending results.
The hospitalization reported on Tuesday is the 220th COVID-19 hospitalization to occur in the state since March. Currently, there are 37 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across 25 different facilities in Alaska, and another four hospitalized patients who are under investigation for the disease. Nine of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients currently require treatment on a ventilator.
Hospitalization data is based on voluntary reporting by up to 27 facilities to the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, but there is no state mandate requiring them to report. Not all 27 facilities report to ASHNHA every day. Six of the 27 facilities are military and behavioral health hospitals that do not report results consistently, according to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office. The governor was asked at Tuesday’s press conference if he has any plans to mandate that all 27 hospitals report every day, and he said that it has not been discussed.
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.
