A patient with COVID-19 is currently in critical care at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
This is Juneau’s second confirmed case of the virus. The city announced on Sunday that another person had tested positive for the disease and is recovering at home.
This is the first case of hospitalization related to coronavirus in Alaska. In a press conference on Monday, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said all patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recovering at home.
State health officials say both of the people in Juneau who are sick appear to have caught the virus while traveling. According to a release from the City and Borough of Juneau, the second patient recently visited Portland and Washington state.
State and local health officials are working with the latest patient’s family to track down people who may have recently come into contact with the patient.
Three more people in Ketchikan have also tested positive for the virus.
The city’s emergency manager Abner Hoage says state public health authorities are investigating who the patients have had recent contact with — all are at home in self-isolation.
As of Tuesday evening, 43 people in Alaska have tested positive for the virus.
The first death of an Alaska resident was also announced Tuesday. State officials said that individual contracted the disease out of state and died in Washington state.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
