City and Borough of Juneau reported five new coronavirus cases Tuesday bringing the number of active cases in the capital city to 23, according to city data.
Statewide there were 36 new cases, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard, all but one of which are state residents. There are 3,208 active cases statewide, according to Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, and 37 currently hospitalized for COVID-19. The state also reported two new deaths bringing the total to 39.
Data from the City and Borough of Juneau, which are updated more frequently than state data, show there are 21 active resident cases and two active nonresident cases. Bartlett Regional Hospital has one current COVID-19 patient, according to city data.
Both the state and city have their own methods for assessing risk levels, and as of Tuesday afternoon, both were at moderate levels. There are three levels to the state’s system, and as of Aug. 31, Alaska had a 14-day average case rate of 8.99 per 100,000 people statewide, putting State of Alaska’s alert level at “intermediate.”
[Juneau caps bars, gyms at half capacity]
According to the state’s website, that means “moderate community transmission with some undetected cases and infrequent discrete outbreaks is likely occurring.” The state’s average has been trending down, state data show, after peaking at 12.29 on Aug. 1.
An increase in the state’s alert level doesn’t automatically trigger a change in regulations, but CBJ’s does. On Tuesday CBJ’s risk remained at “Level 2 Moderate,” where it had been since Aug. 21, when the city told bars, restaurants and other businesses to limit their indoor capacity to 50%.
“We continue to experience a steady number of new cases, a significant proportion of which are attributed to community spread. Our seven and 14 day case rate indicators are in the moderate level and our larger outbreaks have resolved,” the city’s Emergency Operations Command assessment says of COVID-19 in the community.
Statewide, there have now been 5,298 cases among residents and 862 among nonresidents, according to state data. In Juneau, there have been 181 resident cases and 96 nonresident cases, according to city data.
