Two men in Fairbanks have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That brings the total number of positive cases in Alaska up to three.
During a press conference on March 16, state officials said that they are taking steps to mitigate an outbreak. All state-owned museums and libraries will shut down until March 31. Students at residential boarding schools will be sent home home by March 27. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is signing a bill to allow health insurance companies to cover telehealth.
"Anyone with flu-like symptoms, utilize telehealth benefits before overloading the healthcare system, including our emergency rooms," Dunleavy said.
Meanwhile, off-road communities are figuring out how to prepare for an outbreak with limited access to water and a lack of housing. State Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink says that state officials have reached out to the Alaska Federation of Natives and Native corporations to coordinate a response that begins with local organizations.
"So what we are doing is staging and getting ready to move supplies as needed," Zink said.
Meanwhile, state officials were vague on the number of test kits available to test for COVID-19, and the number of ventilators and ICU beds available in Alaska hospitals. Zink said that those numbers continually shift, but acknowledged that the current infrastructure is limited. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has partnered with a private, out-of-state lab to test for COVID-19; the results of the test can take up to five days.