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Alaska reported a new death tied to COVID-19 and 115 new virus cases among residents and nonresidents on Saturday, extending a surge in cases that has ramped up dramatically in the past several weeks.
The new cases come amid major outbreaks in the seafood industry, including an OBI Seafoods processing plant in Seward where 98 employees tested positive, a American Seafoods factory trawler with 85 confirmed cases, an Alaska Glacier Seafoods plant in Juneau with 40 cases and, most recently, a Copper River Seafoods plant in Anchorage with 56 cases of the illness, announced Friday night.
By Saturday, state data showed that there were 1,901 active cases of COVID-19 among both residents and nonresidents while 947 people had recovered.
The new death reported Saturday involved a Fairbanks man in his 70s who had pre-existing conditions, according to an online statement from the state’s health department. The total number of Alaskans whose deaths were associated with COVID-19 is now 20.
There were 30 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and eight under investigation by Saturday, according to the health department. Statewide, 115 people with COVID-19 have been hospitalized as of Saturday, an increase of four from the previous day.
New cases reported Saturday involve 88 residents, including 48 in Anchorage; one in Eagle River; six in Wasilla; four in Palmer; five in Fairbanks; one in Ester; one in North Pole; three in Soldotna; two in Seward; one in Sterling; one in Kenai; two in Cordova; one in Kotzebue; one in Valdez, whose actual residence is Kenai; three each in smaller communities in the Northwest Arctic Borough and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area; one in Haines; one in Juneau; and one in Unalaska. The state also reported one new case each among residents of smaller communities in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area and the northern Kenai Peninsula.
Of the 27 nonresident cases reported Saturday, 22 are seafood industry workers in Seward, one is in Kenai and four were classified as unknown.
The state’s average testing positivity rate for the last three days is 2.12%, according to the state health department.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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