FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2020
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager
Phone: 907-443-9674
Nome, Alaska – A patient tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, August 22. The patient is a village-based employee of Norton Sound Health Corporation who was tested as part of routine employee testing. The patient has been notified of their results and is safely isolating.
NSHC contacted local leadership in the village to initiate a local response plan. NSHC has sent a response team to the community to facilitate testing of close contacts.
NSHC notified the State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing, which will conduct further investigation, including contact tracing and the type of spread.
NSHC encourages anyone feeling ill to stay home and distance themselves from others. COVID-19 symptoms are very similar to other types of colds and flu viruses. Some of the most common symptoms people with COVID-19 experience are fevering, chills, coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell and other cold-like symptoms.
If you are experiencing symptoms, please call the Nome Primary Clinic at 443-3333 or your local clinic before going in to get tested. If you feel sick and are tested, it is a good idea to quarantine as you wait for test results and start making a list of close contacts you have had in the prior days. Limiting your contacts and keeping track of your activities will help Public Health Nursing conduct a thorough investigation if you do end up with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
