FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2021
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager
Phone: 907-443-9674
Nome, Alaska – Twenty-two new COVID-19 cases over the weekend contributed to the region’s total active case count of 84. From Friday-Sunday, Oct. 1-3, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified 15 new cases in Nome, five in Brevig Mission, one in Koyuk, and one in Shaktoolik.
Of the five cases in Brevig, two were close contacts to previously identified cases, and three were community spread. The Koyuk case was a close contact, and the Shaktoolik case was community spread. In Nome, 12 of the cases were close contacts to previously identified cases, and three were community spread cases. One Nome individual was a NSHC employee. All patients have been notified and instructed to safely isolate.
Currently, of the 84 active cases in the region, 45 are in Nome, 19 are in Brevig Mission, 14 are in Koyuk, four are in Shaktoolik, and two are in Gambell.
The City of Nome has issued an emergency order to mandate the use of face masks in all indoor public spaces, due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases regionwide. The order went into effect Oct. 2, and will expire on Oct. 15. If local businesses are in need of a donation of reusable face masks or other supplies, they may contact NSHC Public Relations to request a donation at .
The State of Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services announced Oct. 2 that it activated the crisis standards of care for 20 Alaska health care facilities, including NSHC.
According to a DHSS press release, the “action recognizes that Alaska has an interconnected and interdependent health care system, requiring the need for activation of the State’s decision-making framework.”
“Factors leading to the activation include scarce medical resources within some facilities and limited health care staff as well as the difficulty of transferring patients to other medical facilities due to limited bed availability.”
Crisis standards of care are peer-reviewed guidelines that may be used during a disaster or public health emergency when there are not enough health care resources to provide the usual standard of care to people who need it. They guide health care providers and systems to triage patients and resources to do the most amount of good for the most people in times of scarce resources. DHSS has created a Frequently Asked Questions page regarding the crisis standards of care here.
