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Alaska’s first illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus was disclosed Thursday by state officials. A spokesman for Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he was on a private cargo flight that had landed in Anchorage.
The person was “a foreign national individual who was transiting through” the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer. “This is an isolated case” that officials believe they can contain, she said.
The person, who was identified only as an adult male, had traveled to Alaska in the past 48 hours, she said. The man had not been interacting extensively in the community, she said. She declined to say whether he had been on a commercial, cargo or private plane.
He was treated at Alaska Regional Hospital and discharged, said Dr. Keri Gardner, chief medical officer from the hospital. She described his condition as “stable,” “doing quite well” and not in a life-threatening situation.
He is now in isolation in Anchorage, though officials declined to provide details about that. It’s less of a threat in Alaska than a community-transmitted case, officials said, because he had not interacted in the community, she said.
Jeff Turner, a spokesman for Dunleavy, said the person was from a private cargo plane but provided no more details. The Anchorage airport is a hub for international cargo flights.
Zink said the man was otherwise in good health, but officials declined to provide other details, including where he was from, his age and where in the city he had gone. The person self-isolated as soon as he began experiencing symptoms and asked to be tested, she said.
“They had been watching themselves because they knew they were an international traveler,” Zink said. “And as soon as they started to develop some symptoms that were concerning including a fever they called and made appropriate arrangements to be tested. ... From what we’re hearing from this patient, they did an amazing job of self-isolating.” She described him as “incredibly kind and cooperative. ... My heart goes out to this individual as they are suddenly here” far from friends and family.
Epidemiologists are documenting the man’s travel history and who they had contact with, she said.
The case was identified on Thursday afternoon, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said. “This just happened a couple hours ago,” he said.
Dunleavy said Alaskans should expect more cases and urged them to take steps to reduce risk, such as hand washing.
“This is not a surprise,” he said. “We expect more positives."
Nationwide, confirmed case numbers continued their ascent, with 1,215 confirmed cases and 36 deaths from the diseases, the CDC reported Thursday.
The symptoms of COVID-19 include shortness of breath, fever and cough.
An outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a virus known as SAR-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, began in Wuhan, China, but has since spread to several countries worldwide.
If you are sick, the CDC recommends you stay home and call your health care provider to describe the symptoms you might be experiencing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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