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Alaska sets another daily record with 231 new COVID-19 cases

Alaska health officials say the state experienced a record number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 231.

Sunday was first time the state experienced more than 200 new confirmed cases in a day

A woman wearing a face mask in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, in June. There were 154 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the city on Sunday, the highest daily number of cases there so far. (Mark Thiessen/The Associated Press)

Alaska health officials say the state experienced a record number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 231.

It is the first day the state has experienced more than 200 new confirmed cases in a day.

The state Department of Health and Social Services said 186 of the new cases involved Alaska residents and 45 involved non-residents, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

There are currently 35 people who are hospitalized with COVID-19. Another eight people who are hospitalized are suspected of having the virus.

A car passes an empty roadside pullout near Talkeetna, Alaska, in June. This summer, Talkeetna is pretty quiet after most major cruise ship companies cancelled their summer tourist seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Mark Thiessen/The Associated Press)

Alaska has reported 3,102 cases of COVID-19 statewide and 950 people have recovered from the virus.

The state said it has conducted over 207,000 tests since the beginning of the pandemic.

The newly confirmed cases included 154 in Anchorage, the highest daily number of cases for the city so far.

The city's bars, restaurants and entertainment venues had their capacities restricted on July 22 and limitations were imposed on the number of people allowed to gather in groups. Anchorage has required people to wear masks in certain indoor public settings since June.

Workers harvest whiting off the coast of Alaska in 1996. Coronavirus outbreaks in Alaska's seafood industry have multiplied since June. In one incident, 85 people aboard a factory fishing vessel docked in the Aleutian Islands tested positive for COVID-19. (Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian/The Associated Press)

Coronavirus outbreaks in the state seafood industry have multiplied since June. In one incident, 98 workers at a seafood processing plant in Seward tested positive.

In another, 85 people aboard a factory fishing vessel docked in the Aleutian Islands tested positive for COVID-19.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.