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The coronavirus outbreak in Alaska continued on Wednesday with data from the state’s health department showing 710 new infections and an increase in hospitalizations, but no new deaths.
This marks the second-highest daily tally of new cases of the virus in the pandemic to date – the state reported 745 new cases of COVID-19 on November 14.
The outbreak prompted Anchorage officials on Wednesday to impose sweeping pandemic restrictions not seen since the spring.
Statewide as of Wednesday, 136 people with COVID-19 were currently hospitalized and nine other hospital patients were suspected of having the disease. Twenty-two confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients were on ventilators, state data shows.
Bars and restaurants will be closed except for take-out, deliveries and outdoor dining; new limits on collection sizes and commercial capacity will be applied; and all residents should avoid non-essential trips outside their homes.
Of the 700 new cases reported among Alaskan residents on Wednesday, 381 were in Anchorage, plus 19 in Eagle River, seven in Chugiak and one in Girdwood; 20 in Soldotna, 14 in Homer, 12 in Kenai, 4 in Sterling, 3 in Seward, 2 in Nikiski, and 2 in Anchor Point; 27 in Wasilla, nine in Palmer, one in Big Lake, one in Houston and one in Willow; 21 at Fairbanks and four at the North Pole; 18 in Bethel; 15 in Utqiagvik; 11 to Kodiak; 10 in Juneau; new in Sitka; seven at Delta Junction; four in Nome; two to Tok; one in Ketchikan; one in Cordoba; one in Shevak; and one in an unidentified region of the state.
Among communities of less than 1,000 people not named for privacy, there have been 65 cases of residents in the Bethel census area; six in the eastern district of the Aleutians; four in the Kusilvak census area; three in the Dillingham census area; two in the north of the Kenai Peninsula; two in the southeast Fairbanks census area; two in the North Slope borough; one in the Valdez-Cordova census area; one in the Denali borough; one in the Fairbanks North Star borough; one in the Yukon-Koyukuk census region; one in the district of Mat-Su; one in the census area of Nome; and one in Bristol Bay as well as in the boroughs of Lake and Peninsula.
Ten cases were reported Wednesday among non-residents: three in Anchorage; one in a small community in the Northwestern Arctic Borough; one in Juneau; and five in unidentified areas of the state.
While people can be tested more than once, each case reported by the state’s health department represents only one person.
Among the new cases, the number of patients showing symptoms when they tested positive is not indicated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about a third of people with the virus are asymptomatic.
An outbreak at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Mat-Su, Alaska’s largest prison, also continued to grow this week with a total of 299 inmates testing positive on Wednesday, the majority of whom were active cases. One inmate died and four were hospitalized.
The state’s positivity rate on Wednesday was 6.5%. Health officials have warned that a positivity rate above 5% means there is strong community transmission.
A total of 29,543 Alaskans and non-residents of the state have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.
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