CBJ reports six additional COVID-19 cases, only one is active & update on determining community risk level

The City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is reporting one new resident identified with COVID-19 in Juneau and five nonresidents who previously had COVID-19 but their cases were never reported. Public Health is attributing the resident case to out-of-state travel. The five nonresidents are in the mining sector.

The EOC is aware the number of COVID-19 cases in Juneau has been trending downward the past few weeks. If numbers remain low, the EOC will reduce the overall community risk to Level 2 Moderate as early as next week. The EOC will notify the public of any changes by Monday afternoon, January 11. Before making that decision, the EOC is awaiting results for COVID-19 tests conducted this week from the asymptomatic testing effort underway and from the increased number of travelers returning to Juneau from holiday travel. Test results from the asymptomatic effort should reflect any spike in cases associated with holiday activities in the community. Tests conducted at the Juneau airport and drive-thru facility on January 4 and 5 – around 450 tests – have not yet been processed due to a delivery delay, which is also contributing to the overall lower case counts. Those tests are now at the processing facility and results are expected soon. The EOC’s goal is to be as deliberative as possible when making shifts in community risk level to avoid abrupt changes.

Cumulatively, Juneau has had 967 residents test positive for COVID-19 since March and 125 nonresidents. There are 12 active cases in Juneau and 1,075 individuals have recovered. All individuals with active cases of COVID-19 are in isolation. There are currently two people with COVID-19 hospitalized at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Statewide, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services today reports 338 new people identified with COVID-19 – 334 are residents and four are nonresidents. The state also reports three recent deaths – a female Anchorage resident in her 50s, a female resident of the Kusilvak census area in her 50s, and a female resident of the Bethel census area in her 50s – bringing the total number of resident deaths to 222.

Alaska has had 47,660 cumulative resident cases of COVID-19 and a total of 1,568 nonresidents.