FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2020
Contact: Alexis Erikson, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: (907) 443-8918
Three regional residents tested positive for COVID-19 on October 31st. All patients agreed to allow Norton Sound Health Corporation to share their home communities.
The first patient who received a positive COVID-19 result is from the community of Savoonga. The community leadership was informed and participated in a meeting with NSHC to discuss a response plan. In an abundance of caution, Trick-or-treating was postponed today in Savoonga.
The second patient, who is a resident of Nome, received their positive result while quarantining. The test was a result of the City of Nome’s travel testing and quarantine mandate.
The third patient is a Stebbins resident, bringing the total case count to 54 from the recent outbreak. Over 80 percent of the community has been tested and NSHC’s medical response team has been positioned in Stebbins for over four weeks since the outbreak began. The community remains in a lock down, which means households should not visit other households.
The State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing have been notified and all three patients are safely isolating. The addition of these three patients brings the total number of positive COVID-19 cases to 159 since the start of the pandemic. NSHC’s patient count includes non-residents of the region who have tested positive while in the region and regional residents who tested positive while outside of the region.
If residents have questions regarding symptoms, which can include coughing, shortness of breath, fevering, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, or other cold-like symptoms, they should contact their local clinic or the Nurse Call Line at (907) 443-6411 or 844-586-8773 if outside of regular clinic hours. Other general questions about COVID-19 can be directed to the State of Alaska’s 211 resource number.
All residents in the region are strongly encouraged to get their flu vaccine this year to protect them against getting influenza during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting the flu during the pandemic could lower your immune system defenses, and make you more vulnerable to other illnesses, including COVID-19.
