Two more seafood industry workers test positive for COVID-19 Kotzebue reports coronavirus case

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced three new cases of COVID-19 in: Anchorage (1), Northwest Arctic Borough (1) and the combined Bristol Bay and Lake & Peninsula boroughs (1). This brings the total Alaska case count to 402.

This report reflects data from 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on May 19 that posted at noon today on the Alaska Coronavirus Response Hub.

Two nonresident cases were identified yesterday in seafood workers in Anchorage. They were identified through testing during their quarantine period and both are now in isolation. They are listed separately from the total Alaska case count since they are not residents of Alaska. This brings the total nonresident cases to 12, seven of which are in the seafood industry.

The Anchorage case is an inmate at the Anchorage Correctional Center, which was announced by the Alaska Department of Corrections yesterday. The Maniiliq Association also announced yesterday in a press release that the case in the Northwest Arctic Borough was an individual who tested positive in Kotzebue. The Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing continues to work closely with these communities and organizations to assist with the investigations and contact tracing.

Of the new Alaska cases, two are male and one is female. One is aged 30-39 and two are aged 70-79. There have been a total of 44 hospitalizations and 10 deaths with one new hospitalization and no new deaths reported yesterday. Recovered cases now total 352, including four new recovered cases recorded yesterday. A total of 37,045 tests have been conducted.