Tools for testing

ANCHORAGE — With 11 more people who tested positive for coronavirus bringing Alaska’s total up to 246, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said that he would begin to announce plans to reopen the state starting sometime next week.

On Friday, Dunleavy announced a myriad of suspensions of deadlines across industries alongside Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum. Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink was joined by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Medical Director Dr. Robert Onders to discuss the increased testing capability in rural Alaskan communities.

“The more locally based testing that we can quickly apply, the more likely we can control the spread in these communities,” said Onders.

This week, the first case of COVID 19 was detected in rural Alaska when someone tested positive in Bethel on Monday. Onders said that the Abbott rapid testing machines that arrived in Anchorage around 2:30 a.m., on Monday were being put to use testing patients in rural Alaska by 7 a.m.

“If we, working with the state and our federal partners can get the right tools in the right time, I think we can be a model of success. Everyone points to these communities as being potentially vulnerable to a significant impact of COVID. They’re actually incredibly strong and given the right tools, geography and isolation means success,” said Onders.

On Friday, 11 new cases were announced but no new deaths and only one additional hospitalization. However, a death reported out of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital due to coronavirus will be attributed to the state’s count on Saturday. Dr. Zink announced two additional cases in the Mat-Su Valley on Friday with one more in Palmer and Wasilla. The Valley now has nine people total who have tested positive for COVID 19 with five in Palmer and four in Wasilla. Though 7,432 people have been tested statewide, just 454 of those have been conducted on Valley residents. The number of people who have been tested in the Mat-Su accounts for just .43 percent of the total population of the Mat-Su Borough and people who have been tested have only tested positive at a rate of .19 percent. Conversely, the state’s percent positive number continues to increase, and is now up to .33 percent. Concerns about the supply of testing kits and personal protective equipment to ensure safety of health care workers has been alleviated for the time being, as industry partners around Alaska help to bolster the state’s stockpiles of PPE and swabs, supplementing supplies from the Federal government. Triverus in Palmer had been producing 2,000 swabs a day previously to help increase Alaska’s testing capability and on Monday will increase their production to 36,000 per week.

“We’re constantly checking the pulse of this whole pandemic to see when we can open things up,” said Dunleavy.

Inmates at 10 of the 12 Alaska Department of Corrections facilities have been huddled around 38 additional sewing machines brought in with the goal of producing 40,000 masks in 12 days that will be given to DOC staff and essential employees with the state of Alaska. Zink said she continues to pay attention to the numbers on the percentage of Alaskans who have tested positive and that no testing strategy is more effective than the 14-day quarantine.

“A lot of the actions people have taken have really been flattening that curve,” said Zink.

Dunleavy and Crum announced that the DHSS will suspend deadlines for various reports, audits and administration hearings, as well as suspend onsite inspection requirements for birthing centers and on premise requirements for community health behavioral providers. The Office of Children’s Services is suspending 21-year-old foster children who want to remain in care rather than aging out and requirements for patient visitation and home health visits. The Department of Juvenile Justice will suspend deadlines and in person requirements for attorney visitation and new resident physical exams and also suspend the requirement to complete a certificate of need to temporarily increase bed capacity. The Department of Commerce is suspending nearly 70 types of corporation filing fees. The Department of Fish and Game is suspending sealing deadlines for fur bearing animals. The Department of Administration is suspending requirements for non residents with an valid out of state drivers license to obtain an Alaska driver’s licence within 90 days and Commercial Driver’s Licenses for a driver who is temporarily out of state as well as the requirement for the new owner of a car to apply for a new vehicle registration and title. The Department of Environmental Conservation is suspending fees for restaurants operating at a closed capacity due to the virus. The Department of Natural Resources is suspending termination of forfeiture of aquatic farm site leases and suspending the due date for annual fees for appropriations of water. The Department of Transportation is suspending fees for concessionaires at airports. The Department of Education is suspending requirements for Alaska Performance Scholarship recipients and certain non public school students to complete the SAT or ACT. Dunleavy also announced that EMT’s will have an extended deadline for recertifications and requirements for in person skills tests for CPR suspended for EMT 1, 2, 3 and advanced EMT’S. Dunleavy also announced that he has suspended the requirement for EMT’s with up to three years of experience to apply for recertification and the cap on maximum distance delivered education. More information can be found at akgov.us/economy.