The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 18 new positive COVID-19 cases in their Wednesday update, including six in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Four cases are out of Homer, one out of Soldotna, and one from an area of the Kenai borough with a population below 1,000.
This follows 28 cumulative cases from the Kenai Peninsula to be reported as part of the official Alaska count since last Thursday. Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, said the spike in numbers was expected and that it’s a reminder to not stop the behaviors that kept Alaska’s count low in the first place: “This is the time to be able to hunker back down, making sure that you are doing the things that you can to minimize the spread of the disease. Minimize your contact with others or extended time within indoor facilities.”
The number of active cases of COVID-19 patients in the state is 122. The last time the active case count was at 120 or higher was on April 14 when the count was 127.
No new deaths have been reported, with that total remaining at ten fatalities.
These cases are reported using the state’s timetable of reporting counts: 12:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on June 2.