FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2020
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager
Phone: 907-443-9674
A sixth patient in the Norton Sound/Bering Strait region has tested positive for COVID-19. This patient agreed to disclose their home community of Nome and that the testing was done in accordance with the City of Nome’s emergency order related to travelers.
Norton Sound Health Corporation notified the patient of the test results, and the patient has been self-isolating. The State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing are in contact with the individual and will begin the process of tracing close contacts.
State officials have determined this case to be a travel-related transmission.
NSHC offers testing to anyone in the region who wants it. In Nome, patients can stop by the walk-in testing tent outside the hospital from 8-11 a.m. and 12:30-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. In the village communities, patients can call their local clinic to arrange testing.
Additionally, anyone who is flying into the region at Nome’s airport can be tested upon arrival. NSHC testing providers have set up a mobile testing unit outside the airport, where passengers who disembark the latest flight from Anchorage are able to be tested immediately. Many travelers choose to take part in airport testing in order to reduce their required Nome quarantine from 14 days to seven days with testing upon arrival and testing again after a week of quarantining.
NSHC recommends patients who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 be tested. Symptoms include coughing, fevering, shortness of breath, fatigue, new-onset diarrhea, loss of smell or taste, and other cold symptoms. If you feel sick with any of those problems, please contact Primary Care in Nome at 443-3333 or your local clinic before going in to be seen.
In an effort to limit the spread of the virus, NSHC continues to recommend social distancing, frequent handwashing, wearing masks in public, and staying home when sick.
Stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 information by visiting NSHC’s website: www.nortonsoundhealth.org/category/covid-19.
