FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2022
Contact: Alexis Erikson, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-8918
17 COVID-19 Cases identified on Wednesday
Nome, Alaska – On Wednesday, Jan. 5, Norton Sound Health Corporation identified 17 COVID-19 cases between six regional communities.
In Nome, four of the cases were travel-related, and four were community spread. One of the Nome cases was a NSHC employee. In Unalakleet, three of the cases were close contacts to previously identified cases and one was community spread. In Stebbins, one case was community spread. In both St. Michael and Teller, each village had one travel-related case involving a NSHC employee. Leadership has been notified in each community.
The CDC has updated its guidance for quarantining and isolation. If an individual is diagnosed with COVID-19, patients should isolate for a minimum of five days and wear a face mask for an additional five days.
If someone is identified as a close contact and is not fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible, they should quarantine for five days. After a negative test on day five, they should continue to wear a mask in public for five additional days. Those who are fully vaccinated and have received a booster dose do not need to quarantine but are encouraged to wear a mask in public places and test on day five.
On Jan. 5, the CDC also authorized booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15, at least five months after their initial shot series. The advisory panel followed a similar authorization recommended on Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both agencies also authorized an additional primary dose of Pfizer for immunocompromised children ages 5 to 11 this week.
There are currently 65 active cases in the region: 32 in Nome, 10 in St. Michael, seven in Elim, six in Stebbins, five in Unalakleet, two in Shishmaref, and one in each Golovin, Teller, and Little Diomede.