Good news for Kodiak on the coronavirus front. As of yesterday (Wednesday), Kodiak has no active COVID-19 cases for the first time since June 2nd, according to the Kodiak Emergency Operations Center.
Elsa DeHart, Kodiak’s public health officer, explains:
“Everyone really in Kodiak at this point is considered recovered. All of our people have done their isolation. So we’re in a pretty good spot, for the moment.”
Kodiak is the only organized borough in Alaska with zero active cases. However, the Prince of Wales census area in southeast Alaska is also reporting no active cases, according to the state coronavirus dashboard.
So far, Kodiak has conducted almost 2,000 tests, with just under a 1% positivity rate.
Kodiak is currently at low, or green, risk level.
Dr. Evan Jones with KANA: “We have been fortunate. We’ve been fortunate that most people are following mandates. And once again I’ve got to say to employers in town bringing people in, they’ve done a pretty darn good job of saying hey you’ve got to go get tested before you start, or you have to go quarantine for a week. How are we going to make this happen?”
But that doesn’t mean Kodiak should get complacent. Over 1700 people in Alaska are known to be still infected. The state overall has seen exponential growth in cases this summer in metropolitan areas and in the seafood industry. As Dehart notes:
“The biggest thing about this virus is that it is so transmissible. It’s so contagious. Much more than other viruses such as the flu.”
Despite the low numbers in Kodiak, public health officials emphasized that masks and social distancing are doing their job, and not to let up.
