Alaska lab has not reported around 1,600 positive virus cases

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A lab in Alaska has not reported more than 1,600 positive coronavirus tests to the state department of health over the past month, according to a state official.

Dr Louisa Castrodale, a state epidemiologist, said Friday that Beechtree Labs had failed to report 1,636 positive test results out of 13,169 tests performed, most of which had been performed in the past two weeks. Beechtree is a new commercial lab based in Anchorage.

The announcement is a sign that the increase in the number of daily cases reported by the state only reflects a portion of the total number of cases, the Anchorage Daily News reported.. Castrodale said the understaffing at clinics, laboratories and the state’s Department of Health and Human Services also caused backlogs that affected the entire coronavirus data system.

“It’s fair to say the system is stretched,” Castrodale said.

Coleman Cutchins, a clinical pharmacist who is leading the state health department’s testing effort, said patients and providers still received their test results from Beechtree within two days.

Results not reported to the state include 357 positive cases in Anchorage and 880 positive cases in the Matanuska-Susitna district.

The state’s health department reported its second-highest number of virus cases per day on Friday with 735 new confirmed cases.

The number of infections is thought to be much higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can get infected with the virus without feeling bad.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, which go away within two to three weeks. For some – especially the elderly and people with existing health problems – it can cause more serious illnesses, including pneumonia and death.