FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2021
Contact: Sarah Richards, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-4591
Nome, Alaska – Norton Sound Health Corporation identified 13 positive COVID-19 cases on Monday, August 16, bringing the total number of active cases to 181.
Of the new cases, three are in Nome, one is in Unalakleet, seven are in Stebbins, and two preferred not to disclose their location. Patients have been notified and instructed to safely isolate. The communities of Stebbins and St. Michael will remain in a lockdown until there are no new cases identified in the villages for 14 days.
Of regionwide active cases, seven are in Nome, two are in Unalakleet, two are in Savoonga, one is in White Mountain, 132 are in Stebbins, nine are in St. Michael, and 28 are in communities that will remain unidentified. Village leadership in all communities with active cases has been contacted.
Join the NSHC Tribal Leader Call on Wednesday, August 18 at 11 a.m. for a conversation on back-to-school with COVID-19. Bering Strait School District and Nome Public Schools superintendents Dr. Bobby Bolen and Jamie Burgess will join the call to talk about plans for the two school districts. Call 1-800-315-6338; code 03286#. Every call features an update on COVID-19 in the region and answers to COVID questions from medical staff. Please email to submit questions.
NSHC urges people to continue to stay home if they feel ill and to contact their local clinic to get tested. Statewide, the COVID-19 alert status is high. NSHC recommends masking up in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status, per federal guidelines. Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself and others. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available in every community.
The Cough and Cold Clinic in Nome is available for testing seven days a week. It is located on the first floor of the hospital and is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekends. You can call the direct line to the Cough and Cold Clinic at (907) 443-3231. If you are in a regional village, please contact your local clinic to get tested.
