The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 689 new COVID-19 cases in Alaska on Wednesday, including 80 on the Kenai Peninsula. Affected peninsula communities include Soldotna with 33 cases, Kenai with 24 cases, Homer with nine cases, Other North with three cases, Seward with three cases, Sterling with three cases, Anchor Point with two cases, Nikiski with two cases and Other South with one case.
The new cases bring Alaska’s statewide case total to 33,797, including 32,531 residents and 1,266 nonresidents.
Over the past week, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has conducted 1,122 tests and saw a positivity rate of 8.56%. The current statewide alert level, based on the average daily case rate for the last two weeks, is high. The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s alert level is higher at 104.27.
The state reported 19 new hospitalizations statewide and no new deaths. To date, 753 Alaska residents have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 121 have died. Currently, there are 163 people hospitalized in Alaska who are COVID-19 positive or who are considered persons under investigation for the disease. Twenty three of the patients are on ventilators.
Alaska’s daily positivity rate for the past seven days, during which 18,988 tests were conducted, is 7.27%. To date, 1,024,643 tests have been conducted in Alaska.
In addition to the 80 cases on the peninsula, the state also reported 216 cases in Anchorage, 192 cases in Wasilla, 39 in Palmer, 29 in Utqiagvik, 24 in Kodiak, 12 in Eagle River, 12 in Fairbanks, 11 in Chugiak, eight in Bethel, seven in Sitka, five in Delta Junction, five in Nome, four in Bethel Census Area, four in Juneau, three in Big Lake, three in Houston, three in Unalaska, two in Aleutians East Borough, two in North Pole, two in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, two in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, two in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, two in Willow and one each in Bristol Bay plus Lake and Peninsula boroughs, Craig, Dillingham, Douglas, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Healy, Ketchikan, Mat-Su Borough, North Slope Borough and Wrangell.
Ten nonresident cases were also reported. Three were reported with locations still under investigation, two were reported in Anchorage, two were reported in Wasilla, one was reported in Delta Junction, one was reported in Kenai and one was reported in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.
Schools update
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District announced last week that remote learning would be extended for central, southern and eastern peninsula schools through the end of the academic quarter on Dec. 18.
Pre-K, kindergarten and special education intensive needs students, who shifted to remote learning following Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s statewide alert on Nov. 12, resumed on-site learning Wednesday, with increased COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place.
After a Nov. 2 school board meeting that saw several parents, teachers and students voice their opposition to the repeated extension of remote learning, the district announced that they would be reviewing their SmartStart plan to determine how students could be brought back into school safely during high risk operations.
KPBSD Superintendent John O’Brien said last month that any new reopening plans will be sent to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services for review and then to the school board for approval and adoption.
In a Nov. 24 announcement, the district said that an update to the SmartStart plan will be presented to the Board of Education at their Dec. 7 meeting.
In determining whether to reopen a school to on-site learning, the district and their Medical Advisory Team analyze 14-day positive case counts and the seven-day positivity trend, consult with medical providers and public health and review their school decision matrix. The district said their medical advisory team now includes a mental health professional.
Small district schools, which include Susan B. English School, Cooper Landing School, Hope School, Nanwalek School, Port Graham School and Tebughna School continue to be open for on-site learning and operate at low-risk level.
During 100% remote learning, Get-It and Go meals are free for all students and can be picked up daily at school.
Operational risk levels, case incidence rates and case numbers by community are updated daily on the district’s risk levels dashboard at covid19.kpbsd.org/dashboard.
Central Peninsula — High Risk: The central peninsula, or Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, Sterling and “other North,” had 65 resident cases reported by the state Wednesday for a total of 646 cases in the last 14 days.
The central peninsula is high risk when there are 52 or more cases in the last 14 days, medium risk when there are 51 to 26 cases in the last 14 days, and low risk when there are 25 or fewer cases in the last 14 days. As of Wednesday, the central peninsula will need to lose 594 cases from its 14-day case count for schools to drop back into medium risk.
Central peninsula schools include Aurora Borealis Charter School, K-Beach Elementary, Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Sciences, Kenai Alternative School, Kenai Central High School, Kenai Middle School, Marathon School, Mountain View Elementary, Nikiski Middle-High School, Nikiski North Star Elementary, Redoubt Elementary, River City Academy, Skyview Middle School, Soldotna Elementary School, Soldotna High School, Soldotna Montessori Charter School, Sterling Elementary and Tustumena Elementary.
Southern Peninsula — High Risk: The southern peninsula, or Homer, Fritz Creek, Anchor Point and “other South,” had 12 resident cases reported by the state Wednesday for a total of 175 cases in the last 14 days.
The southern peninsula is at high risk when there are 20 or more cases in the last 14 days, medium risk when there are 19 to 10 cases in the last 14 days, and low risk when there are nine cases or fewer in the last 14 days. As of Wednesday, the southern peninsula will need to lose 156 cases from its 14-day case count for schools to drop back into medium risk.
Southern peninsula schools include Chapman School, Fireweed Academy, Homer Flex School, Homer High School, Kachemak Selo School, McNeil Canyon Elementary, Nikolaevsk School, Ninilchik School, Paul Banks Elementary, Razdolna School, Voznesenka School and West Homer Elementary.
Eastern Peninsula — High Risk: The eastern peninsula, or Seward, had three resident cases reported by the state Wednesday for a total of 33 cases in the last 14 days.
The eastern peninsula is at high risk when there are eight or more cases in the last 14 days, medium risk when there are four to seven cases in the last 14 days, and low risk when there are three or fewer cases in the last 14 days. As of Wednesday, the eastern peninsula will need to lose 26 cases from its 14-day case count for schools to drop back into medium risk.
Eastern peninsula schools include Moose Pass School, Seward Elementary, Seward High School and Seward Middle School.
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 is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the lower level of South Peninsula Hospital’s Specialty Clinic 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.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
