Another Homer person has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Sunday’s update from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. This is the third positive case for the lower Kenai Peninsula since Thursday. Previously DHSS reported an Anchor Point man 80 or older and a woman aged 60-69 tested positive. The statewide total is now 368 positive cases.

DHSS announced Sunday three new cases for Saturday, May 2: two from Anchorage and one from Homer.

According to a DHSS database, the latest Homer case is a man aged 60-69. How the man contracted the virus remains under investigation.

The Anchor Point man was reported hospitalized in Friday’s update. On Sunday, DHSS reported no change in Saturday’s number of 36 Alaskans hospitalized for COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

In an interview with the Homer News on Friday, the Homer woman, 64, said she is recovering at home. The woman said she had been self isolating since being furloughed from her job in mid-March, and that she had only gone out into the community to get groceries. The woman said she wore a mask and practiced social distancing, hand-washing and using sanitizers.

Of the cases announced Sunday, two are male and one is female. One is aged 10-19; one is aged 40-49; and one is aged 60-69. There have been a total of nine deaths with no new hospitalizations or deaths reported on Saturday. Recovered cases now total 262, including one new recovered case recorded yesterday. DHSS reports on cases from the previous day; Sunday’s numbers encompass cases reported from midnight to 11:59 p.m. May 2.

The new Homer case also is reflected in the latest totals for people tested at South Peninsula Hospital. Including Saturday’s new Homer case, of 337 tests, four people have tested positive through SPH. There have been 299 negative cases and there are 34 pending cases, according to SPH public information officer Derotha Ferraro.

According to a press release on Sunday from the Homer Unified Command, the latest positive Homer test was done on the hospital’s recently acquired rapid testing equipment, and is the hospital’s first case of positive results using this platform.

That press release confirmed the latest case is a Homer resident. Alaska Public Health Nurses have interviewed the individual and are tracing contacts. They will reach out to any person who may have come into contact with them to offer instructions for preventing the spread of disease, including quarantine, isolation if sick and getting tested.

“Testing for COVID-19 is a critical component for preventing the spread in the community,” according to the press release. “It is offered at no charge at the hospital’s main entrance parking lot 24/7 to anyone experiencing any of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, fever, cough, fatigue, difficulty breathing, headache, sore throat, runny nose, diarrhea, nausea, rash, loss of sense of smell or taste, chills, body/muscle aches or increased phlegm production. Show up or call 235-0235 to speak to the COVID nurse for additional information on testing.”

The press release reiterated practices for reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus when in groups and public places, including using face covers, physical distancing, frequent hand-washing and disinfecting commonly used surfaces.

On the Kenai Peninsula, the total case count now stands at 22, with 16 of those cases already recovered. The Kenai Peninsula cases are distributed throughout the following communities: two in Anchor Point, four in Homer, four in Kenai, three in Seward, six in Soldotna and three in Sterling. This includes a Homer resident who was tested and treated in Anchorage, and an Anchor Point resident who died while out of state.

For the latest data on the COVID-19 pandemic in Alaska, visit the state’s coronavirus response hub at https://coronavirus-response-alaska-dhss.hub.arcgis.com.

Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.