The state reports Thursday two new cases of COVID-19 for Juneau, according to Department of Health and Social Services data.
How the two people contracted the virus is under investigation, according to a City and Borough of Juneau news release that cited DHSS. Juneau’s last two confirmed cases, reported on Juneau 7 and 8, are still under investigation, too.
A traveler, whose COVID-19 test was reported positive June 10 following a June 6 test taken at Juneau International Airport, is not included in the new case numbers since they are not a Alaska resident.
The new cases bring Juneau’s case total to 37 since March, according to CBJ and DHSS. Of those cases, 33 people have recovered. The traveler is excluded from those figures.
The two new cases were among 17 new Alaskan cases reported Thursday by DHSS. In recent weeks, double-digit, single-day increases in COVID-19 cases have become more common than they were from mid-April to late May.
The state now has 611 cumulative cases and 203 active cases.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data no longer show Alaska with the lowest case count in the nation. CDC data, which was last updated Thursday but lags behind state reporting, shows Montana with the lowest total number of cases at 561.
Akaska has the second lowest total listed by CDC at 593 —that’s one fewer case than DHSS listed for Alaska as of June 9.
CBJ continues to recommend people stay more than six feet away from non-family members, cover their mouths and nose with a cloth face covering when around others and wash their hands frequently.
People who feel sick are encouraged to stay home and get tested for COVID-19. Juneau’s COVID-19 hotline can be reached 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 586-6000.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, breathing trouble, sore throat, muscle pain and loss of taste or smell. Most people develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia.
• Contact Ben Hohenstatt at (907)308-4895 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
