FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2021
Contact: Alexis Erikson, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-8918
Nome NSHC Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19
Nome, Alaska – On Wednesday, January 27, a Norton Sound Health Corporation employee in Nome tested positive for COVID-19 through routine testing. The employee had minimal exposure to patients and any close contact has been notified.
NSHC has notified the State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing. The individual is safely isolating, and the case appears to be community spread.
If you would like to receive your COVID-19 vaccination, please contact your local clinic to be placed on a waiting list. If you are in Nome, you can sign up for a vaccination appointment at www.picktime.com/NSHC or by calling the Patient Advocate during business hours for help at 443-4567.
As NSHC rolls out its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, it is keeping a close eye on variants of the virus that have been identified. One variant that was first identified in the U.K. last fall is known to be more infectious and possibly more dangerous than the currently dominant virus strains in the U.S. This new strain is expected to become the dominant strain of virus in the U.S. by this spring. Research shows that the vaccines currently approved for use in the U.S. – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – still appear effective against the more contagious strains of virus.
While the state of Alaska and this region are doing well with vaccination rates, other places around the country are not as fortunate, and the risk of spread is still there. Please keep in mind that children under 16 cannot be vaccinated at this time, and every eligible person’s vaccination helps protect them as well.
