FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2021
Contact: Reba Lean, Public Relations Manager
Phone: 907-443-9674
Nome, Alaska – The region’s active COVID-19 case count sits at 19 as of Monday, August 2, morning.
Five additional Stebbins residents tested positive for COVID-19 since last week; one on Friday, two on Sunday, and two early Monday morning. One Nome resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
All cases were acquired through community spread. All patients have been notified and instructed to safely isolate. Norton Sound Health Corporation’s COVID response team is identifying and reaching out to close contacts of the positive cases.
Stebbins is currently under a community lockdown, until there are no new cases identified for 14 days. Stebbins experienced a COVID-19 outbreak last fall, which took nearly two months to recover from. The residents there know what it takes to overcome an outbreak, and now everyone 12 years and older has the added benefit of accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines.
During Stebbins’ lockdown, per the Stebbins Community Association, there is to be no visiting between households or other communities, and everyone should wear a mask in public indoor spaces. There is a 10-person limit at the store, and a five-person limit at the laundromat. There will be no bingo during this time, and there is a curfew of 10 p.m.
Statewide, the COVID-19 alert status is high. NSHC recommends masking up in public spaces in communities with high active case counts, regardless of vaccination status, per federal guidelines.
In this region, of the 19 active cases, five are in Nome, 11 are in Stebbins, and three are in regional villages but have requested their village not be identified in a press release. Leadership and residents in the involved communities have been made fully aware.
Starting this week, NSHC will be offering vaccinations at the Wellness Bus, which will be parked at the AC in Nome from 8:30-11 a.m. on Wednesdays. COVID-19 screenings and vaccinations will also be offered at the Liitfik Wellness and Training Center from 9:30-10 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Vaccinations are still available at the Nome Post Office from 12:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Appointments can be made for vaccinations at the Nome Pharmacy at www.picktime.com/NSHC. And at the Nome airport, vaccinations are still being offered to all incoming passengers who are 12 years and older.