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Update at 4:31 p.m .: The state of Alaska reported 933 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a big spike from the previous state of 760.
The rise spread to the borough of Fairbanks North Star, which recorded 143 new cases after a week in which the rates of new cases were down. On Monday, the district registered 14 new cases.
Clint Brooks, co-commander of the COVID-19 Interior Response Team, attributed the spike to people gathering for Thanksgiving. Brooks is also a director at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
“We haven’t seen a dramatic spike in hospitalized HIV positive patients, but it is impacting our staffing,” Brooks said. “We seem to be a little better off than some hospitals in Anchorage right now, but that can change pretty quickly.”
Five people, including two COVID-19 patients, were in the intensive care unit at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Saturday, according to hospital spokesperson Kelly Atlee. The ICU has 13 beds, she said.
A new virus death was reported on Saturday, a woman in her sixties from Anchorage, Alaska, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ summary of the COVID-19 case tally.
“Our hearts are with his family and loved ones,” the state report reads.
That brings the number of deaths from the virus in the state to 142, 40% of which have been reported in the past four weeks, according to state data.
Alaska’s COVID-19 numbers are updated daily to reflect the previous 24-hour period until midnight.
The total number of resident and non-resident cases reported in Alaska is now 36,271, including 3,721 in the Fairbanks borough, since the start of the pandemic.
Saturday’s case count report reflected the highest number of daily new cases in and in the Fairbanks borough since November 20, when 108 and 93 new cases were reported respectively.
The number of new cases in the Fairbanks borough had tempered last week, the highest day showing 41 new cases.
Hospitalizations in Alaska jumped to 164 people diagnosed or suspected of having COVID-19 on Saturday, including 24 on ventilators.
Atlee said Fairbanks Memorial Hospital had 10 viral patients and 54 non-viral patients on Saturday.
“We have 67 employees today who are unable to work due to COVID-related situations,” Atlee added.
This includes employees who are ill, tested positive or exposed to the virus.
Brooks said face masks are working to control the spread of COVID-19 in the hospital. Masks have been required there since March 29 and since then there have been no reports of anyone contracting COVID-19 from hospital exposure, he said.
“Even though we have had employees testing positive, we have always been able to control this because they are wearing a mask,” Brooks said.
“It’s quite surprising how many people are asymptomatic but test positive,” he said. “We know this from our own employees. They are actually shocked to be positive because they have no symptoms. “
Brooks said he expects further spikes in numbers in the coming weeks until the vacation ends.
“We knew it was going to be a dangerous time of year,” he said.
Last week, Jeff Cook, chairman of the foundation that owns Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, called on Governor Mike Dunleavy to mandate face masks as a way to slow the spread of the virus.
Cook is concerned that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients in the weeks and months to come.
More than one million COVID-19 tests have been performed in Alaska, according to the latest case count report.
Contact writer Amanda Bohman at 459-7545. Follow her on Twitter: @FDNMborough.
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