Second COVID-19 case in Kodiak

In an announcement Wednesday morning, Kodiak City Manager Mike Tvenge disclosed that a positive case of COVID-19 has been identified in Kodiak.

This brings Kodiak’s total cases up to two. The first case, identified in April, has since recovered, and Kodiak has had no active cases for several weeks until now.

In the announcement, Tvenge noted that this new case is an out-of-state resident who arrived in Kodiak this Monday and immediately quarantined, according to current state public health and CDC guidelines. The individual tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday night, when local officials were notified, and the individual is being monitored and isolated.

Tvegne noted that, while traveling, the asymptomatic individual took precautions such as wearing a mask.

“The traveler did everything according to CDC guidelines, which is fortunate for us.”

Tvenge added that public health officials have performed contact investigation procedures and contacted people who have likely come into close contact with this person.

“If you have not been contacted by public health then you are not considered a close contact. But I do want to emphasize that this person was asymptomatic and took precautions to protect others while traveling.”

State public health officials with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) on Wednesday announced 18 new cases of COVID-19, but Kodiak’s case is not included in that count since those numbers reflect the number of cases reported Tuesday. It is expected that Kodiak’s case will be included in the DHSS update on Thursday.

After almost two weeks since Gov. Mike Dunleavy eased many of the state’s travel and public gathering restrictions, Alaska has seen elevated numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Over the past week, an average of nearly 15 cases has been reported each day.

Responding to the double-digit cases reported this week, Kodiak state senator Gary Stevens issued a statement: “The rising case count underscores the need for Alaskans to remain vigilant as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.”

Kodiak public health officials say that, at this time, the COVID-19 spread is manageable, and there is not need to issue a “Hunker Down” proclamation. However, with the dramatic increase in cases this week, they are advising people to take steps to help prevent the disease from spreading, such as washing hands, cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects daily, avoiding public places as much as possible, wearing a mask, and maintaining social distance.

If you are feeling sick or suspect that you may have been infected, you should remain at home and contact your health care provider.

Additional information on COVID-19 is available through the DHSS at www.coronavirus.alaska.gov.

You can listen to the complete announcement from the Kodiak Area Emergency Services Organization here: