AND NINE OTHERS STATEWIDE, INCLUDING MAT-SU, ANCHORAGE
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services confirmed Juneau’s first positive case of COVID-19. The case is an adult, and the person has not been hospitalized and is isolating at home. At this time, it is not known if this is a travel-related case. The total number of cases in Alaska that are confirmed rose to 32.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced 9 other new cases of COVID-19 in two Alaska communities – Anchorage (7), the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (2).
All cases were in adults; none were hospitalized. All of these persons are isolating themselves at home and their close contacts are being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and monitor for symptoms.
One of the Anchorage cases had recent travel outside of Alaska. The remaining cases are not known to be travel-related at this time.
The Section of Epidemiology is continuing to investigate these cases in cooperation with Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, the Anchorage Health Department and local public health nurses.
“At least two of the new Anchorage cases that we are investigating have no clearly identified contact with a confirmed case,” said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, Alaska’s State Epidemiologist. “This indicates that community transmission of COVID-19 appears to be occurring in the Anchorage area.”
Travelers arriving from anywhere outside of Alaska should self-quarantine for 14 days, per the March 20th Alaska Health Alert. Find more information about how to keep yourself and your family healthy at coronavirus.alaska.gov.
Additional current information on COVID-19 is available through DHSS at coronavirus.alaska.gov.