FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2020
Contact: Sarah Richards, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-4591
On December 7, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified a positive COVID-19 case.
The patient is a Nome resident and is now safely isolating. The case is considered to be community spread, and will be investigated further by the State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing. The number of active cases in Nome is currently 25. There are an estimated 30-40 individuals in Nome who are still in quarantine. NSHC has identified 93 cases of COVID-19 in Nome since mid-November; 68 of those cases have since recovered. There are currently zero active cases in the regional villages. Since the pandemic began, NSHC has diagnosed 260 patients with COVID-19. Nearly 40,000 tests have been completed on over 10,000 patients. Close contacts continue to be tested during and at the end of their 14-day quarantine.
NSHC continues to keep the public informed through a Weekly Data Dashboard. The graphic condenses information into pie charts to show details of the region’s total cases such as gender, age, and positive test timeline. It also reports total hospitalizations and deaths and active cases. The dashboard is updated every Monday by noon, and can be found at this web address: https://my.visme.co/view/q6xw84jw-data-dashboard
The City of Nome will continue to require COVID-19 testing upon arrival in Nome at the airport. Testing in advance of arriving in Nome, while encouraged, will not meet the mandate. NSHC has placed staff at the Anchorage airport to help passengers pre-register for COVID-19 testing. If passengers are pre-registered before arriving to Nome, the COVID-19 testing process is very efficient. To pre-register, please visit: bit.ly/3if5nbq
NSHC would like to welcome a new Anchorage airport greeter, Pauline Ahkvaluk, to the team. She will be located at the gate of the flight departing to Nome and will be wearing a bright yellow vest with an NSHC badge attached. If you are traveling to a village via Nome, Pauline will alert the testing team ahead of time in case you have a short layover. If you do not receive your test results in time to fly to the village, call (907) 434-0654 and NSHC’s quarantine team can assist you. To get your COVID-19 test results, please text (833) 413-0568.
If you develop a cough, fever, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, congestion, fatigue, headache, or loss of taste or smell, please immediately quarantine and make an appointment at the Cough and Cold Clinic by calling the main appointment desk at (907) 443-3333. You can also call the direct line to the Cough and Cold Clinic at (907) 443-9666 or (907) 443-4200.